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

One person's trash can be another person's meal for some villagers in the Philippines with a rice-for-plastics programme launched to help the environment and feed the public. Since June, officials from Bayanan village on the outskirts of Manila started exchanging a kilogram of rice for every two kilos of plastic waste they can accumulate. The waste collected are then given to the national government for proper disposal or recycling.

A kilo of rice for plastic waste feeds hungry villagers in the Philippines

Thousands are feared missing in the Bahamas in the wake of devastating Hurricane Dorian, as residents continue to recount tales of terror more than a week after the top-of-scale Category 5 hurricane ravaged Great Abaco Island, Freeport and other parts of the tourism-dependent country.

"Thousands are missing"- Resident of the Bahamas

The chief of an indigenous tribe in the heart of the world's largest rainforest - the Amazon - said on Monday (September 09) illegal loggers were causing damage to a protected area.

'They're taking all the riches from indigenous lands' - illegal loggers spoil pristine Amazon forest

By day, the unforgiving sun glares off the road beside Ipah's wooden home with blinding brightness as a passing motorbike stirs a swirl of dust. By night, the beams of an occasional truck carrying coal or palm fruits pierce the darkness.

 
This remote corner of Indonesia is set to be transformed from a forest backwater on the island of Borneo to a global city&nbsp;a new capital of a country whose 260 million people make it the world's fourth most populous.

 
At her stall serving ice tea and instant noodles, Ipah, an 18-year-old single mother, worries about what the change will bring.

 
"Cities in Kalimantan are peaceful and safe," said Ipoh, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, referring to the Indonesian part of Borneo island. "The capital is a city that never sleeps. Too much smoke, too much fuss."

 
The capital Jakarta's reputation as a crowded, polluted megacity of more than 10 million people one that is slowly sinking into the sea is partly why Indonesia plans to move government offices to a "Forest City" in East Kalimantan province.

 
The logic of the plan, first mooted nearly 70 years ago, is also to escape Java's earthquake risk and to swing Indonesia's political centre nearer the middle of the archipelago and away from the politically dominant island.

 
"Within five years, we think there will be 200,000 to 300,000 people. Within 10 years, maybe the population will reach 1 million. And then after that 1.5 million," Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro told Reuters in Jakarta. "We will manage the growth of the city so that it doesn't wildly expand out of control," he said.

 
The vision set out in glossy presentations for a $33 billion city is inspired by the good management of Seoul, the greenness of Singapore and Washington's separation of administration from a business, he said. The site of the new capital is about 1,300 km (800 miles) northeast of Jakarta.

 
Reuters reporters travelled more than 280 km (175 miles) across the designated area, the thinly populated forested region of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara, between the existing cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda.

LONG-STANDING DREAM

 
By identifying the site for the yet-to-be-named capital last week, President Joko Widodo is known&nbsp;as Jokowi got closer than ever to realising a move now set to start in 2024.

 
"Our people are grateful, Alhamdulilah (praise be to God)," said Abdul Gafur Mas'ud, regent of North Penajam Paser. "This regency has been considered undeveloped."

 
The congratulatory bouquets arrayed at his office are as bright as the mood in town since the decision. Many residents spoke of their hopes for better schools and paved roads, for clean, piped water and reliable electricity.

 
But after initial celebrations, worries are also surfacing that land speculation will drive up prices, and over an influx of outsiders competing for jobs and over environmental destruction.

 
The potential for massive corruption is also not lost on Indonesians has given experiences with new capitals everywhere from Brazil's Brasilia to Myanmar's Naypyidaw with its vast projects and still largely empty highways.

 
"Our people must prepare quickly," said Awang Yacoub Luthman, secretary of the Kutai Kartanegara Ing Martadipura Sultanate, who has migration at the top of his list of worries.

 
East Kalimantan touts its openness to religions other than Islam as well as its welcome for outsiders. In fact, many residents are descendants of Javanese settlers who came to the coal mining and palm oil growing region in the 1970s. But the new planned relocation is on a different scale.

 
LAND WORRIES

 
The region's Tribun Kaltim newspaper said asking prices for land surged four times after the announcement.

 
That said, Bagus Susetyo, local chairman of the Real Estate Indonesia property association, told Reuters major property companies were not acquiring land because they had large land banks in nearby Balikpapan.

 
While some would gain from the rise in land prices, many Indonesians don't own the land they live on. Among them is Ipah, who is already resigned to losing her dwelling, protected against bad luck by two diamond-shaped charms woven from young coconut leaves.

 
"Mr Jokowi, can you give me free land, even just a square metre or a free house?" she asked. It is not only human homes at risk.&nbsp;

 
East Kalimantan is known for forests inhabited by orangutans, sun bears, and long-nosed monkeys.There will be no building in a protected forest and the government plans to reforest abandoned mines and illegal palm oil plantations, Planning Minister Brodjonegoro said.

 
He floated the idea of an orangutan conservation centre similar to one for giant pandas in the Chinese city of Chengdu.

 
The fate of the apes is particularly sensitive in Indonesia given that they have become symbols for campaigners targeting the world's biggest palm oil industry over the destruction of forests for plantations.

 
Conservationists said they were far from convinced that there would be no spillover effects from moving the capital to East Kalimantan.

 
"The city centre might be located quite far away," said Aldrianto Priadjati, an executive of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, which is based in Kutai Kartanegara. "But the development will be everywhere, just like - sorry to say it - Jakarta." 
($1 = 14,210.0000 rupiah)

By day, the unforgiving sun glares off the road beside Ipah's wooden home with blinding brightness as a passing motorbike stirs a swirl of dust. By night, the beams of an occasional truck carrying coal or palm fruits pierce the darkness.

By day, the unforgiving sun glares off the road beside Ipah's wooden home with blinding brightness as a passing motorbike stirs a swirl of dust. By night, the beams of an occasional truck carrying coal or palm fruits pierce the darkness. This remote corner of Indonesia is set to be transformed from a forest backwater on the island of Borneo to a global city a new capital of a country whose 260 million people make it the world's fourth most populous. At her stall serving ice tea and instant noodles, Ipah, an 18-year-old single mother, worries about what the change will bring. "Cities in Kalimantan are peaceful and safe," said Ipoh, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, referring to the Indonesian part of Borneo island. "The capital is a city that never sleeps. Too much smoke, too much fuss." The capital Jakarta's reputation as a crowded, polluted megacity of more than 10 million people one that is slowly sinking into the sea is partly why Indonesia plans to move government offices to a "Forest City" in East Kalimantan province. The logic of the plan, first mooted nearly 70 years ago, is also to escape Java's earthquake risk and to swing Indonesia's political centre nearer the middle of the archipelago and away from the politically dominant island. "Within five years, we think there will be 200,000 to 300,000 people. Within 10 years, maybe the population will reach 1 million. And then after that 1.5 million," Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro told Reuters in Jakarta. "We will manage the growth of the city so that it doesn't wildly expand out of control," he said. The vision set out in glossy presentations for a $33 billion city is inspired by the good management of Seoul, the greenness of Singapore and Washington's separation of administration from a business, he said. The site of the new capital is about 1,300 km (800 miles) northeast of Jakarta. Reuters reporters travelled more than 280 km (175 miles) across the designated area, the thinly populated forested region of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara, between the existing cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda. LONG-STANDING DREAM By identifying the site for the yet-to-be-named capital last week, President Joko Widodo is known as Jokowi got closer than ever to realising a move now set to start in 2024. "Our people are grateful, Alhamdulilah (praise be to God)," said Abdul Gafur Mas'ud, regent of North Penajam Paser. "This regency has been considered undeveloped." The congratulatory bouquets arrayed at his office are as bright as the mood in town since the decision. Many residents spoke of their hopes for better schools and paved roads, for clean, piped water and reliable electricity. But after initial celebrations, worries are also surfacing that land speculation will drive up prices, and over an influx of outsiders competing for jobs and over environmental destruction. The potential for massive corruption is also not lost on Indonesians has given experiences with new capitals everywhere from Brazil's Brasilia to Myanmar's Naypyidaw with its vast projects and still largely empty highways. "Our people must prepare quickly," said Awang Yacoub Luthman, secretary of the Kutai Kartanegara Ing Martadipura Sultanate, who has migration at the top of his list of worries. East Kalimantan touts its openness to religions other than Islam as well as its welcome for outsiders. In fact, many residents are descendants of Javanese settlers who came to the coal mining and palm oil growing region in the 1970s. But the new planned relocation is on a different scale. LAND WORRIES The region's Tribun Kaltim newspaper said asking prices for land surged four times after the announcement. That said, Bagus Susetyo, local chairman of the Real Estate Indonesia property association, told Reuters major property companies were not acquiring land because they had large land banks in nearby Balikpapan. While some would gain from the rise in land prices, many Indonesians don't own the land they live on. Among them is Ipah, who is already resigned to losing her dwelling, protected against bad luck by two diamond-shaped charms woven from young coconut leaves. "Mr Jokowi, can you give me free land, even just a square metre or a free house?" she asked. It is not only human homes at risk. East Kalimantan is known for forests inhabited by orangutans, sun bears, and long-nosed monkeys.There will be no building in a protected forest and the government plans to reforest abandoned mines and illegal palm oil plantations, Planning Minister Brodjonegoro said. He floated the idea of an orangutan conservation centre similar to one for giant pandas in the Chinese city of Chengdu. The fate of the apes is particularly sensitive in Indonesia given that they have become symbols for campaigners targeting the world's biggest palm oil industry over the destruction of forests for plantations. Conservationists said they were far from convinced that there would be no spillover effects from moving the capital to East Kalimantan. "The city centre might be located quite far away," said Aldrianto Priadjati, an executive of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, which is based in Kutai Kartanegara. "But the development will be everywhere, just like - sorry to say it - Jakarta." ($1 = 14,210.0000 rupiah)

Sleepy to sleepless? Indonesia's future capital in the forest

As thousands of fires ravage the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, some indigenous tribes are turning to prayer in a bid to halt the destruction and protect their environment for future generations.

Indigenous tribes pray for peace, harmony after thousands of forest fires

Smoke from raging wildfires emanates from tree trops in the normally lush Amazon, leaving behind it a trail of charred devastation that has left deep scars in the world's largest rainforest.

Smoke rises above Amazon as new wildfires leave path of devastation

Jorge Arquiles for years started his day by turning on the stove of his small house in the Venezuelan city of Maracay. These days, his breakfast routine begins with a search for firewood in a national park just behind his home. Chronic shortages of natural gas in the country with the world's largest oil reserves now mean that cooking fuel is increasingly coming from trees.

Venezuela's trees suffer as firewood replaces scarce cooking gas

A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted on Wednesday (August 28), unleashing a dramatic plume of smoke in its second explosion in less than two months.

Spectacular eruptions from Stromboli volcano after explosion

Armed with just shovels and machetes, firefighters in Bolivia battled through hot weather on Wednesday (August 28) to smother a forest fire in Santa Rosa de Tucabaca, as the country struggles to contain raging wildfires.

Bolivian firefighters in uphill battle against raging wildfires

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said on Wednesday (August 28) she wished she could just be a regular kid, but she is compelled to effect change where adults have not in stemming rising global temperatures.

'We're just trying to clean up' after adults - Thunberg

The Amazon is not on fire. There are fires in the Amazon rainforest, as there are every year in July-September, because this is the dry season. There may be more fires than usual this year, and it may even be the fault of Jair Bolsonaro, the Donald Trump mini-me who became the president of Brazil last January, but that is not still clear.

Yet, there is a great outcry, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that Bolsonaro lied to him about his stance on climate change. Macron is even threatening to withhold French ratification of the recently signed free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur (of which Brazil is the biggest member).

Meanwhile, British prime minister Boris Johnson declares that it is “an international crisis”, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel calls the fires “an acute emergency...for the whole world.” The Finnish foreign minister even suggests that the EU should boycott Brazilian beef. Concerted international action at last!

Well, no. They might have done it at the G7 summit of the world’s richest countries in Biarritz, but they all knew it would just prompt another Donald Trump walk-out like last year’s. And some of their advisers may be warning them by now that they are not on very safe grounds when they paint Bolsonaro as the sole culprit of the piece.

Bolsonaro is not a good person. He is an obtuse and obnoxious bully who doesn’t give a fig about the climate and advocates ‘developing’ the Amazon in ways that would ultimately destroy the rainforest.

When environmental activists claimed that farmers encouraged by Bolsonaro’s incendiary rhetoric were setting fires to clear Amazonian land for ranching, he blamed the activists themselves, saying that they were setting the fires to discredit him. He had no evidence, he admitted, but he had a “feeling” about it.

Of course, Brazilian farmers and the agribusiness interests behind them are setting fires to destroy bits of the forest, but this is not new with Bolsonaro. The amount of forest they destroyed annually went into steady decline after the Workers’ Party (PT) took power in 2003, but the damage has been trending back up again since the last PT president, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached by Congress in 2015.

Bolsonaro is definitely the icing on the cake, but it’s questionable how much impact he has had after less than eight months in power. The number of fines handed out for illegal burning has dropped by a third this year, but the great majority of illegal burns always went unpunished anyway.

When Brazil’s National Space Research Institute reported an 88% increase in deforestation in June compared with the same month a year ago, nobody except Bolsonaro questioned the data. But, that was before this year’s burning season (Queimada) began, and presumably referred to losses of forest due to illegal logging and land-clearing for mining operations, not to fires.

When the same Brazilian space institute claimed more recently that satellite data showed an 83% increase this year in forest fires, mainly in the Amazon region, Bolsonaro promptly fired its director, claiming that he was manipulating the data for political reasons.

Bolsonaro’s relationship with the truth is as distant as Trump’s, but it must be pointed out that NASA’s Earth Observatory — also relying on satellite data — reported on 22 August that “total fire activity across the Amazon basin this year has been close to the average in comparison to the past 15 years.”

There is, to be sure, a pall of smoke hanging over São Paulo — Brazil’s biggest city — at the moment. It’s as bad as Singapore six years ago or Vancouver last summer, and there’s no doubt that it comes from forest fires. They are, however, fires in the Bolivian part of the Amazon, not Brazil’s.

What the hell, you may say. Bolsonaro may not be guilty this time, but he’s guilty of lots of other things, so let’s hang him anyway. This is not a wise way of proceeding, even if you are doing it with the best of intentions. 
 
(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-bolsonaro-may-not-be-the-real-culprit-of-the-amazon-fire-2785439">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The Amazon is not on fire. There are fires in the Amazon rainforest, as there are every year in July-September, because this is the dry season. There may be more fires than usual this year, and it may even be the fault of Jair Bolsonaro, the Donald Trump mini-me who became the president of Brazil last January, but that is not still clear.

The Amazon is not on fire. There are fires in the Amazon rainforest, as there are every year in July-September, because this is the dry season. There may be more fires than usual this year, and it may even be the fault of Jair Bolsonaro, the Donald Trump mini-me who became the president of Brazil last January, but that is not still clear. Yet, there is a great outcry, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that Bolsonaro lied to him about his stance on climate change. Macron is even threatening to withhold French ratification of the recently signed free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur (of which Brazil is the biggest member). Meanwhile, British prime minister Boris Johnson declares that it is “an international crisis”, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel calls the fires “an acute emergency...for the whole world.” The Finnish foreign minister even suggests that the EU should boycott Brazilian beef. Concerted international action at last! Well, no. They might have done it at the G7 summit of the world’s richest countries in Biarritz, but they all knew it would just prompt another Donald Trump walk-out like last year’s. And some of their advisers may be warning them by now that they are not on very safe grounds when they paint Bolsonaro as the sole culprit of the piece. Bolsonaro is not a good person. He is an obtuse and obnoxious bully who doesn’t give a fig about the climate and advocates ‘developing’ the Amazon in ways that would ultimately destroy the rainforest. When environmental activists claimed that farmers encouraged by Bolsonaro’s incendiary rhetoric were setting fires to clear Amazonian land for ranching, he blamed the activists themselves, saying that they were setting the fires to discredit him. He had no evidence, he admitted, but he had a “feeling” about it. Of course, Brazilian farmers and the agribusiness interests behind them are setting fires to destroy bits of the forest, but this is not new with Bolsonaro. The amount of forest they destroyed annually went into steady decline after the Workers’ Party (PT) took power in 2003, but the damage has been trending back up again since the last PT president, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached by Congress in 2015. Bolsonaro is definitely the icing on the cake, but it’s questionable how much impact he has had after less than eight months in power. The number of fines handed out for illegal burning has dropped by a third this year, but the great majority of illegal burns always went unpunished anyway. When Brazil’s National Space Research Institute reported an 88% increase in deforestation in June compared with the same month a year ago, nobody except Bolsonaro questioned the data. But, that was before this year’s burning season (Queimada) began, and presumably referred to losses of forest due to illegal logging and land-clearing for mining operations, not to fires. When the same Brazilian space institute claimed more recently that satellite data showed an 83% increase this year in forest fires, mainly in the Amazon region, Bolsonaro promptly fired its director, claiming that he was manipulating the data for political reasons. Bolsonaro’s relationship with the truth is as distant as Trump’s, but it must be pointed out that NASA’s Earth Observatory — also relying on satellite data — reported on 22 August that “total fire activity across the Amazon basin this year has been close to the average in comparison to the past 15 years.” There is, to be sure, a pall of smoke hanging over São Paulo — Brazil’s biggest city — at the moment. It’s as bad as Singapore six years ago or Vancouver last summer, and there’s no doubt that it comes from forest fires. They are, however, fires in the Bolivian part of the Amazon, not Brazil’s. What the hell, you may say. Bolsonaro may not be guilty this time, but he’s guilty of lots of other things, so let’s hang him anyway. This is not a wise way of proceeding, even if you are doing it with the best of intentions. (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)

Jair Bolsonaro may not be the real culprit of the Amazon fires

A few charred trees are all that remain in this patch of the Amazon after it was ravaged by fires, a sombre scene which has angered the international community as a record number of fires in the Amazon rainforest intensified an unfolding environmental crisis.

Drone reveals aftermath of Amazon fires

* By Jos Barlow and Alexander C Lees

Imagine a rainforest at dawn – the tall canopy laden with dripping ferns and orchids, tree trunks covered in spongy mosses and lichens, and the morning mist only slowly burning away as the sun rises. While there is fuel everywhere, it seems unimaginable that such humid ecosystems could ever catch fire.

And without human intervention, they don’t. The charcoal record points towards infrequent fires in the Amazon even during periods of pre-Columbian human settlement, and the 8,000 or more Amazonian tree species have none of the evolutionary adaptations to fire found in their savanna or boreal cousins.

But, with thousands of fires currently burning across the Amazon, it’s worth looking at how these wildfires behave. In this context, a “wildfire” is one which has gone out of control, even if started by humans. What do they mean for a forest that hasn’t evolved with fire? And what is needed to prevent further damage?

Contrary to many images circulated online depicting blazing canopies, wildfires in previously undisturbed tropical forests do not appear as ecosystem changing events. Flames advance just 200 to 300 metres a day and rarely exceed 30cm in height, burning only leaf litter and fallen wood.

Most mobile animals are able to flee, and firefighters – if present – can bring it to a halt by raking simple fire breaks. Indeed, the humble trails of leaf cutter ants were sufficient to stop forest fires in an experiment in the southern Amazon.

But the intensity of a fire does not necessarily predict its severity. The lack of natural adaptation to deal with wildfires make rainforest species incredibly sensitive. Even a low intensity wildfire can kill half the trees. While small trees are initially most susceptible, larger ones often die in subsequent years leading to an eventual loss of more than half of the forest’s carbon stocks. These large trees hold the most carbon, and subsequent regrowth of pioneer species is no compensation – once-burned, forests hold 25 per cent less carbon than unburned forests even after three decades of regrowth.

With such a devastating impact on the trees, it is not surprising that forest-dependent animals and people are also affected. Primates are less abundant in burned forests and many specialist insectivorous birds disappear altogether. And local people, who use forests for game, building materials and medicines, lose one of their most important safety nets.

All this happens when a forest burns for the first time. However, the situation is very different when forests suffer recurrent fires. Then, fuel from previous tree mortality creates a veritable bonfire, tinderbox dry under an open canopy. Flame heights in these forests often reach the treetops, causing the death of almost all remaining trees.

Such a scenario has been likened to “savannisation” – but while the resulting scrub and sparse trees may share superficial similarities with fire-dependent tropical grasslands, they contain none of their unique biodiversity or cultural values. Instead, recurrent wildfires are more likely to hasten the Amazon’s transition to a low diversity and low carbon ecosystem with a fraction of its current social and ecological value.

The burning issue

We know that forest fires are not a natural process in Amazonia, so why are so many fires happening now? Unfortunately, it is not yet clear exactly what has been burning – satellites detecting active fires and smoke are imprecise guides, and we will only get greater clarity when burn scars are accurately mapped across all land uses. But the current increase is likely to be a mix of three different fire types.

Some of the fires are related to a recent spike in deforestation, when the cut vegetation is burned to create cattle ranches and support land claims. Others will be agricultural burns, when fires are used in rotational agriculture or to clear encroaching scrub from existing pasture.

Alarmingly, and even though this dry season is considered normal, there is evidence that these intentional fires have led to wildfires in standing forests, including in indigenous reserves.

Addressing these fires is complex as many of the activities are illegal or politically motivated. For example, there was a marked increase in fire detection during the recent “day of fire”, and loggers or land speculators have previously been implicated in causing wildfires in indigenous reserves. Furthermore, it is important to separate these illegal fires from the small-scale slash-and-burn agriculture used by Amazonia’s traditional and indigenous people. Although these fires can escape into forests, they are also essential for maintaining the livelihoods of some of Amazon’s poorest people.

When fires do enter the forest, they can be fought with low-tech approaches such as fire breaks. Yet effective combat remains rare, and in most cases help is either delayed or fails to arrive at all.

Under Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president, funds for the Brazilian environmental protection agency IBAMA have been cut by 95 per cent. This has resulted in a R$17.5m reduction in funds for fire fighting that have been exacerbated by the loss of an Amazon Fund from Norway and Germany.

Addressing forest flammability

Reducing wildfires requires going beyond addressing the ignition sources and fighting the flames themselves, and also encouraging actions that limit forest flammability. Tackling deforestation remains key as it exposes forest edges to the hotter and drier microclimate of agricultural land, and contributes to regional reductions in rainfall.

Selective logging also plays a key role in making tropical forests more flammable. Walking in a selectively logged forest in the dry season, you feel the sun’s heat directly on your face and the leaf litter crackles and crunches underfoot. In contrast, unlogged primary forests are a shadier world where the leaf litter remains moist. Fire prevention needs to be a key condition of long-term forest stewardship. This will only work if widespread illegal logging is effectively controlled, as cheaper timber undermines the viability of best-practice forest management.

Finally, climate change itself is making dry seasons longer and forests more flammable. Increased temperatures are also resulting in more frequent tropical forest fires in non-drought years. And climate change may also be driving the increasing frequency and intensity of climate anomalies, such as El Niño events that affect fire season intensity across Amazonia.

Addressing these challenges requires integrated national and global actions, collaboration between scientists and policymakers, and long-term funding – approaches that the current Brazilian administration seems intent on destroying.

(Jos Barlow is Professor of Conservation Science, Lancaster University; Alexander C Lees is Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology, Manchester Metropolitan University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/amazon-fires-explained-what-are-they-why-are-they-so-damaging-and-how-can-we-stop-them-122340">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 Jos Barlow and Alexander C Lees Imagine a rainforest at dawn – the tall canopy laden with dripping ferns and orchids, tree trunks covered in spongy mosses and lichens, and the morning mist only slowly burning away as the sun rises.

* By Jos Barlow and Alexander C Lees Imagine a rainforest at dawn – the tall canopy laden with dripping ferns and orchids, tree trunks covered in spongy mosses and lichens, and the morning mist only slowly burning away as the sun rises. While there is fuel everywhere, it seems unimaginable that such humid ecosystems could ever catch fire. And without human intervention, they don’t. The charcoal record points towards infrequent fires in the Amazon even during periods of pre-Columbian human settlement, and the 8,000 or more Amazonian tree species have none of the evolutionary adaptations to fire found in their savanna or boreal cousins. But, with thousands of fires currently burning across the Amazon, it’s worth looking at how these wildfires behave. In this context, a “wildfire” is one which has gone out of control, even if started by humans. What do they mean for a forest that hasn’t evolved with fire? And what is needed to prevent further damage? Contrary to many images circulated online depicting blazing canopies, wildfires in previously undisturbed tropical forests do not appear as ecosystem changing events. Flames advance just 200 to 300 metres a day and rarely exceed 30cm in height, burning only leaf litter and fallen wood. Most mobile animals are able to flee, and firefighters – if present – can bring it to a halt by raking simple fire breaks. Indeed, the humble trails of leaf cutter ants were sufficient to stop forest fires in an experiment in the southern Amazon. But the intensity of a fire does not necessarily predict its severity. The lack of natural adaptation to deal with wildfires make rainforest species incredibly sensitive. Even a low intensity wildfire can kill half the trees. While small trees are initially most susceptible, larger ones often die in subsequent years leading to an eventual loss of more than half of the forest’s carbon stocks. These large trees hold the most carbon, and subsequent regrowth of pioneer species is no compensation – once-burned, forests hold 25 per cent less carbon than unburned forests even after three decades of regrowth. With such a devastating impact on the trees, it is not surprising that forest-dependent animals and people are also affected. Primates are less abundant in burned forests and many specialist insectivorous birds disappear altogether. And local people, who use forests for game, building materials and medicines, lose one of their most important safety nets. All this happens when a forest burns for the first time. However, the situation is very different when forests suffer recurrent fires. Then, fuel from previous tree mortality creates a veritable bonfire, tinderbox dry under an open canopy. Flame heights in these forests often reach the treetops, causing the death of almost all remaining trees. Such a scenario has been likened to “savannisation” – but while the resulting scrub and sparse trees may share superficial similarities with fire-dependent tropical grasslands, they contain none of their unique biodiversity or cultural values. Instead, recurrent wildfires are more likely to hasten the Amazon’s transition to a low diversity and low carbon ecosystem with a fraction of its current social and ecological value. The burning issue We know that forest fires are not a natural process in Amazonia, so why are so many fires happening now? Unfortunately, it is not yet clear exactly what has been burning – satellites detecting active fires and smoke are imprecise guides, and we will only get greater clarity when burn scars are accurately mapped across all land uses. But the current increase is likely to be a mix of three different fire types. Some of the fires are related to a recent spike in deforestation, when the cut vegetation is burned to create cattle ranches and support land claims. Others will be agricultural burns, when fires are used in rotational agriculture or to clear encroaching scrub from existing pasture. Alarmingly, and even though this dry season is considered normal, there is evidence that these intentional fires have led to wildfires in standing forests, including in indigenous reserves. Addressing these fires is complex as many of the activities are illegal or politically motivated. For example, there was a marked increase in fire detection during the recent “day of fire”, and loggers or land speculators have previously been implicated in causing wildfires in indigenous reserves. Furthermore, it is important to separate these illegal fires from the small-scale slash-and-burn agriculture used by Amazonia’s traditional and indigenous people. Although these fires can escape into forests, they are also essential for maintaining the livelihoods of some of Amazon’s poorest people. When fires do enter the forest, they can be fought with low-tech approaches such as fire breaks. Yet effective combat remains rare, and in most cases help is either delayed or fails to arrive at all. Under Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president, funds for the Brazilian environmental protection agency IBAMA have been cut by 95 per cent. This has resulted in a R$17.5m reduction in funds for fire fighting that have been exacerbated by the loss of an Amazon Fund from Norway and Germany. Addressing forest flammability Reducing wildfires requires going beyond addressing the ignition sources and fighting the flames themselves, and also encouraging actions that limit forest flammability. Tackling deforestation remains key as it exposes forest edges to the hotter and drier microclimate of agricultural land, and contributes to regional reductions in rainfall. Selective logging also plays a key role in making tropical forests more flammable. Walking in a selectively logged forest in the dry season, you feel the sun’s heat directly on your face and the leaf litter crackles and crunches underfoot. In contrast, unlogged primary forests are a shadier world where the leaf litter remains moist. Fire prevention needs to be a key condition of long-term forest stewardship. This will only work if widespread illegal logging is effectively controlled, as cheaper timber undermines the viability of best-practice forest management. Finally, climate change itself is making dry seasons longer and forests more flammable. Increased temperatures are also resulting in more frequent tropical forest fires in non-drought years. And climate change may also be driving the increasing frequency and intensity of climate anomalies, such as El Niño events that affect fire season intensity across Amazonia. Addressing these challenges requires integrated national and global actions, collaboration between scientists and policymakers, and long-term funding – approaches that the current Brazilian administration seems intent on destroying. (Jos Barlow is Professor of Conservation Science, Lancaster University; Alexander C Lees is Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology, Manchester Metropolitan 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)

Why are Amazon fires so damaging and how can we stop them

Climate change and energy usage are the need of the hour in India. Energy, in particular, renewable and sustainable energy, is becoming increasingly necessary due to India’s exponentially increased levels of population, pollution, international presence and trade over the past few years. In fact, it is safe to say that the way India handles energy development will determine the long-term health of the economy. While it’s easy to say that India should adopt sustainable growth, implementation comes with multiple challenges for policymakers, the Centre and state governments. &nbsp;

For starters, the Centre needs to first sort out expenses and allocations of creating and enforcing green energy and its productive use across industries. Additionally, the Modi government also faces significant economic challenges which makes implementing sustainable growth tricky. First, unregulated markets are moving towards regulated markets, but the pace and trend is impossible to track. Next, new industries like e-commerce are growing exponentially, and once again, the pace is unpredictable over the next few years. Yet another factor is the unpredictability of the monsoon season annually. PM Modi needs to somehow integrate green technology and the economic agenda to work together. The aim? In no sector should the market break and cause environmental alarm. &nbsp;

The effects of climate change are now clearly visible with altering sea levels, melting ice caps and changing temperatures. Consequences can be detrimental, quickly fatal, on a large scale if action is not taken right away. The effects of climate change combined with Indian-linked disturbances such as flooding, droughts, pollution and over-exploitation of resources inevitably result in changes in agricultural productivity. This in turn, significantly impacts the Indian economy. &nbsp;

Let’s look at how India currently uses energy. At present, India’s energy is a combination of coal, nuclear energy, hydropower and bio-energy including wind, biogas, bio-diesel, etc.). It is also interesting to note that a significant portion of India’s primary energy comes from forest and agricultural waste. This includes animal waste, wood chips, biofuels, etc. And along with bio-energy, India now also produces the world’s cheapest solar power. &nbsp;

India’s growing population and growing GDP is already faced with the challenge of countering India’s climate change, water, energy and sustainable development. Consumption is increasing and citizens of New India are attaining a better quality of life. This will only increase which in turn rapidly depletes vital natural resources like water. And if India faces more years with weak monsoon, a crisis like what is happening in Chennai over the past four months will be nationwide. Although every Indian resident needs to play a part by adopting sustainable living, the government really needs to play a pro-active role in solving the problem and clearly guiding industries.&nbsp; 
 
This means that individual policies need to be made across every sector and implemented immediately. Furthermore, along with the current aggressive international relations focus, policy-makers should work on required policy adjustments for sustained growth. An excellent example is to try to copy the Nordic commitment; multiple countries are eliminating fossil fuels completely from energy sources by 2020.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The time has also come for energy usage and climate change to be addressed (instead of just discussed) at the international level. A body like the United Nations needs to actively step in and give directions for curbing large-scale environmental pollution in India. It also needs to see through implementation working with the centre. One way is to use existing schemes like Swachh Bharat and engage citizens on a larger scale. Furthermore, agencies like the IEA could also give directions or even help provide India with sustainable sources for development (in smart cities for example) and for global growth. &nbsp;

An important note in our favour: Green technology is not only cheaper, but also labour intensive. Skilled and unskilled employment will constantly be needed for the long-run with its use. In other words, the more we use green technology, the more employment increases. A win-win for India. &nbsp;

Over the next five years, it is essential that the Modi government strongly push and perfect schemes that implement both solar and bio-energy usage. One way to do this is to have the industry grant tax deductions or exemptions for research and development of green innovation. Bio-fuels should also have low taxes or be exempted from taxes completely and higher taxes should be imposed on fossil fuels and fossil-based chemicals. Additionally, green fuels should be exempted completely from taxes. During his election rallies, PM Modi also stressed that sugarcane is used in the production of biofuel; this production should increase exponentially. Modi should also introduce a severe tax or penalty for pollution and emissions as well. Water allocation and management should also be addressed as soon as possible through the new ministry created by the Centre. &nbsp;

NDA 2.0 under PM Modi has already begun these efforts. Moreover, in his latest Mann Ki Baat episode, the PM stressed the importance of conserving water to citizens. This has not only made them more conscious of the severity of the situation but engaged them to be more civically responsible. I am happy that this government cares and is all about action. The new term has only just begun, but I am confident that it is this Prime Minister who will propel New India forward, and that too, sustainably so. &nbsp; 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp;

Climate change and energy usage are the need of the hour in India. Energy, in particular, renewable and sustainable energy, is becoming increasingly necessary due to India’s exponentially increased levels of population, pollution, international presence and trade over the past few years.

Climate change and energy usage are the need of the hour in India. Energy, in particular, renewable and sustainable energy, is becoming increasingly necessary due to India’s exponentially increased levels of population, pollution, international presence and trade over the past few years. In fact, it is safe to say that the way India handles energy development will determine the long-term health of the economy. While it’s easy to say that India should adopt sustainable growth, implementation comes with multiple challenges for policymakers, the Centre and state governments. For starters, the Centre needs to first sort out expenses and allocations of creating and enforcing green energy and its productive use across industries. Additionally, the Modi government also faces significant economic challenges which makes implementing sustainable growth tricky. First, unregulated markets are moving towards regulated markets, but the pace and trend is impossible to track. Next, new industries like e-commerce are growing exponentially, and once again, the pace is unpredictable over the next few years. Yet another factor is the unpredictability of the monsoon season annually. PM Modi needs to somehow integrate green technology and the economic agenda to work together. The aim? In no sector should the market break and cause environmental alarm. The effects of climate change are now clearly visible with altering sea levels, melting ice caps and changing temperatures. Consequences can be detrimental, quickly fatal, on a large scale if action is not taken right away. The effects of climate change combined with Indian-linked disturbances such as flooding, droughts, pollution and over-exploitation of resources inevitably result in changes in agricultural productivity. This in turn, significantly impacts the Indian economy. Let’s look at how India currently uses energy. At present, India’s energy is a combination of coal, nuclear energy, hydropower and bio-energy including wind, biogas, bio-diesel, etc.). It is also interesting to note that a significant portion of India’s primary energy comes from forest and agricultural waste. This includes animal waste, wood chips, biofuels, etc. And along with bio-energy, India now also produces the world’s cheapest solar power. India’s growing population and growing GDP is already faced with the challenge of countering India’s climate change, water, energy and sustainable development. Consumption is increasing and citizens of New India are attaining a better quality of life. This will only increase which in turn rapidly depletes vital natural resources like water. And if India faces more years with weak monsoon, a crisis like what is happening in Chennai over the past four months will be nationwide. Although every Indian resident needs to play a part by adopting sustainable living, the government really needs to play a pro-active role in solving the problem and clearly guiding industries. This means that individual policies need to be made across every sector and implemented immediately. Furthermore, along with the current aggressive international relations focus, policy-makers should work on required policy adjustments for sustained growth. An excellent example is to try to copy the Nordic commitment; multiple countries are eliminating fossil fuels completely from energy sources by 2020. The time has also come for energy usage and climate change to be addressed (instead of just discussed) at the international level. A body like the United Nations needs to actively step in and give directions for curbing large-scale environmental pollution in India. It also needs to see through implementation working with the centre. One way is to use existing schemes like Swachh Bharat and engage citizens on a larger scale. Furthermore, agencies like the IEA could also give directions or even help provide India with sustainable sources for development (in smart cities for example) and for global growth. An important note in our favour: Green technology is not only cheaper, but also labour intensive. Skilled and unskilled employment will constantly be needed for the long-run with its use. In other words, the more we use green technology, the more employment increases. A win-win for India. Over the next five years, it is essential that the Modi government strongly push and perfect schemes that implement both solar and bio-energy usage. One way to do this is to have the industry grant tax deductions or exemptions for research and development of green innovation. Bio-fuels should also have low taxes or be exempted from taxes completely and higher taxes should be imposed on fossil fuels and fossil-based chemicals. Additionally, green fuels should be exempted completely from taxes. During his election rallies, PM Modi also stressed that sugarcane is used in the production of biofuel; this production should increase exponentially. Modi should also introduce a severe tax or penalty for pollution and emissions as well. Water allocation and management should also be addressed as soon as possible through the new ministry created by the Centre. NDA 2.0 under PM Modi has already begun these efforts. Moreover, in his latest Mann Ki Baat episode, the PM stressed the importance of conserving water to citizens. This has not only made them more conscious of the severity of the situation but engaged them to be more civically responsible. I am happy that this government cares and is all about action. The new term has only just begun, but I am confident that it is this Prime Minister who will propel New India forward, and that too, sustainably so. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Energy, green technology to define New India

British supermarkets are starting to go "nude". Bowing to pressure from environmentally conscious consumers, big brand shops have begun taking steps to strip their shelves of plastic wrapping over concerns about saving the oceans from waste.

Going 'nude': UK supermarkets test plastic-free zones

The team behind teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg's<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/climate-campaigner-greta-prepares-to-sail-to-the-us-to-avoid-flying-242767"> yacht voyage to New York</a> on Sunday fended off claims that her trip will create carbon emissions because team members will make transatlantic flights.&nbsp;

The<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/teen-climate-activist-greta-thunberg-gets-amnesty-prize-225552">16-year-old Swede</a>, whose school strikes have inspired children across the world to protest against global warming, refuses to fly because of the carbon emissions caused by planes.

But she has been offered a lift on the Malizia II racing yacht and set off on August 15 along with her father Svante and a filmmaker to document the journey, in order to attend the UN talks in September with a clear conscience.

However, a spokesman for German round-the-world sailor Boris Herrmann, the yacht's co-skipper, told Berlin newspaper TAZ that several people would fly into New York to help take the yacht back to Europe. Hermann himself will return by plane, according to the spokesman.

The paper estimated that in fact, Thunberg's boat trip would end up being more polluting than if she and her companions had just taken flights to New York themselves.

'An imperfect solution'&nbsp;

That conclusion was quickly picked up on social media sites among Thunberg's detractors.

But Team Malizia manager Holly Cova insisted that the young activist's journey would be climate neutral.

"All Team Malizia flights are offset," she said in a statement issued by Thunberg's entourage.

She explained that the New York trip had been organised "at very short notice, and as a result, two people will need to fly over to the US in order to bring the boat back".

"We only have one boat, so they cannot easily sail over to meet them. Altogether, four crew will be sailing the boat back. These are logistical decisions that Team Malizia alone has taken," she added.

Cova admitted "this is an imperfect solution," adding that "the world has not yet found a way to make it possible to cross an ocean without a carbon footprint."

&nbsp;'I will just ignore them'&nbsp;

The 60-foot (18-metre) yacht is skippered by Hermann and Pierre Casiraghi, vice president of the Monaco Yacht Club and a member of the principality's ruling family.

It can travel at speeds of around 35 knots (70 kilometres an hour) but will be heading into the wind for much of the time so will be slower, and the captain wants a smooth ride.

Ahead of the UN summit on September 23, Thunberg will take part in youth demonstrations, before heading to Canada, Mexico and then to Chile for another UN conference in December. It is not clear how she will be travelling.

"I don't know yet how I will get home," she said before she set off from the English port of Plymouth.

Thunberg has become a figurehead for climate action with her stark warnings of catastrophe if the world does not act now to cut carbon emissions and curb global warming.

She has received criticism and abuse for her uncompromising attitude but shows little concern at how she might be received among climate change deniers in the United States.

"I will just ignore them because I'm only acting and communicating the science, and if they don't like that, what have I got to do with that?" she said.

The team behind teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg's yacht voyage to New York on Sunday fended off claims that her trip will create carbon emissions because team members will make transatlantic flights.

The team behind teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg's yacht voyage to New York on Sunday fended off claims that her trip will create carbon emissions because team members will make transatlantic flights. The16-year-old Swede, whose school strikes have inspired children across the world to protest against global warming, refuses to fly because of the carbon emissions caused by planes. But she has been offered a lift on the Malizia II racing yacht and set off on August 15 along with her father Svante and a filmmaker to document the journey, in order to attend the UN talks in September with a clear conscience. However, a spokesman for German round-the-world sailor Boris Herrmann, the yacht's co-skipper, told Berlin newspaper TAZ that several people would fly into New York to help take the yacht back to Europe. Hermann himself will return by plane, according to the spokesman. The paper estimated that in fact, Thunberg's boat trip would end up being more polluting than if she and her companions had just taken flights to New York themselves. 'An imperfect solution' That conclusion was quickly picked up on social media sites among Thunberg's detractors. But Team Malizia manager Holly Cova insisted that the young activist's journey would be climate neutral. "All Team Malizia flights are offset," she said in a statement issued by Thunberg's entourage. She explained that the New York trip had been organised "at very short notice, and as a result, two people will need to fly over to the US in order to bring the boat back". "We only have one boat, so they cannot easily sail over to meet them. Altogether, four crew will be sailing the boat back. These are logistical decisions that Team Malizia alone has taken," she added. Cova admitted "this is an imperfect solution," adding that "the world has not yet found a way to make it possible to cross an ocean without a carbon footprint." 'I will just ignore them' The 60-foot (18-metre) yacht is skippered by Hermann and Pierre Casiraghi, vice president of the Monaco Yacht Club and a member of the principality's ruling family. It can travel at speeds of around 35 knots (70 kilometres an hour) but will be heading into the wind for much of the time so will be slower, and the captain wants a smooth ride. Ahead of the UN summit on September 23, Thunberg will take part in youth demonstrations, before heading to Canada, Mexico and then to Chile for another UN conference in December. It is not clear how she will be travelling. "I don't know yet how I will get home," she said before she set off from the English port of Plymouth. Thunberg has become a figurehead for climate action with her stark warnings of catastrophe if the world does not act now to cut carbon emissions and curb global warming. She has received criticism and abuse for her uncompromising attitude but shows little concern at how she might be received among climate change deniers in the United States. "I will just ignore them because I'm only acting and communicating the science, and if they don't like that, what have I got to do with that?" she said.

Carbon dioxide row over climate activist Thunberg's yacht trip to New York

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../over-400000-advised-evacuating-as-the-storm- bears-down-on-japan-243089">Japan </a>insisted Friday it no longer hunts endangered sei whales in international waters but faced accusations of still violating a wildlife treaty by allowing commercialisation of meat from past catches.

The standing committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) last October found Japan in breach of the treaty and ordered it to rectify the situation or face trade sanctions.

The elected panel, which handles the treaty's compliance and enforcement, dismissed Japan's claims that the cull since 2002 of some 1,500 North Pacific sei whales was only scientifically motivated.

Instead, it found that the hunt was primarily commercially motivated, and thus constituted international trade in a protected species and a clear violation of the treaty.

Japan told the committee meeting in Geneva on Friday that it no longer permits taking sei whales on the high sea and is therefore in compliance with CITES.

"This matter should be considered closed," a member of the Japanese delegation said, &nbsp;a day before a global conference of all 183 countries that have signed the treaty kicks off in Geneva.

But committee members from a range of countries, including the European Union, Israel, Niger, Peru and the United States, disagreed.

Many voiced outrage&nbsp;at the continued sale of meat and blubber from the whales deemed to have been illegally culled and imported over a 16-year period.

According to conservationists, 1,500 tonnes of meat from 131 sei whales killed in 2018 alone have been commercialised in Japan, and sei whale meat remains widely available in shops and restaurants in the country.

'Truly shocking'&nbsp;

"It is truly shocking," the representative from Niger told the meeting, maintaining that when illegal international trade is detected in other endangered species, such as elephant ivory, the stockpiles are ordered confiscated and destroyed.&nbsp;

The European Union representative agreed, pointing to article 8 of the convention, which he said "requires ... confiscating specimens traded, or in this case introduced from the sea, in violation of CITES."

Japan meanwhile stressed that it had immediately followed the committee's October ruling, but baulked at the idea it should be applied retroactively.

In the end, the committee ordered Japan to report back on its use of the sei whale stockpiles, but put off the thorny discussion on confiscation until next year.

While Japan remains bound by CITES &nbsp;international wildlife trade restrictions, it has withdrawn from the International Whaling Commission (IWC), enabling it last month to resume commercial whaling in its territorial waters for the first time in decades.

It has allotted itself a hunting quota of 227 of the giant sea mammals this year, including 25 sei whales.

Japan insisted Friday it no longer hunts endangered sei whales in international waters but faced accusations of still violating a wildlife treaty by allowing commercialisation of meat from past catches.

Japan insisted Friday it no longer hunts endangered sei whales in international waters but faced accusations of still violating a wildlife treaty by allowing commercialisation of meat from past catches. The standing committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) last October found Japan in breach of the treaty and ordered it to rectify the situation or face trade sanctions. The elected panel, which handles the treaty's compliance and enforcement, dismissed Japan's claims that the cull since 2002 of some 1,500 North Pacific sei whales was only scientifically motivated. Instead, it found that the hunt was primarily commercially motivated, and thus constituted international trade in a protected species and a clear violation of the treaty. Japan told the committee meeting in Geneva on Friday that it no longer permits taking sei whales on the high sea and is therefore in compliance with CITES. "This matter should be considered closed," a member of the Japanese delegation said, a day before a global conference of all 183 countries that have signed the treaty kicks off in Geneva. But committee members from a range of countries, including the European Union, Israel, Niger, Peru and the United States, disagreed. Many voiced outrage at the continued sale of meat and blubber from the whales deemed to have been illegally culled and imported over a 16-year period. According to conservationists, 1,500 tonnes of meat from 131 sei whales killed in 2018 alone have been commercialised in Japan, and sei whale meat remains widely available in shops and restaurants in the country. 'Truly shocking' "It is truly shocking," the representative from Niger told the meeting, maintaining that when illegal international trade is detected in other endangered species, such as elephant ivory, the stockpiles are ordered confiscated and destroyed. The European Union representative agreed, pointing to article 8 of the convention, which he said "requires ... confiscating specimens traded, or in this case introduced from the sea, in violation of CITES." Japan meanwhile stressed that it had immediately followed the committee's October ruling, but baulked at the idea it should be applied retroactively. In the end, the committee ordered Japan to report back on its use of the sei whale stockpiles, but put off the thorny discussion on confiscation until next year. While Japan remains bound by CITES international wildlife trade restrictions, it has withdrawn from the International Whaling Commission (IWC), enabling it last month to resume commercial whaling in its territorial waters for the first time in decades. It has allotted itself a hunting quota of 227 of the giant sea mammals this year, including 25 sei whales.

Japan under pressure over past hunting of endangered whales

Firefighters in Greece on Friday made progress against a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fire-rages-on-greeces-evia-threat-to-people-averted-242955">four-day wildfire on the island of Evia</a> that has burned through a pine forest and threatened villages, officials said.

"The situation looks better today, there is no active front, but our forces remain in place," a fire department spokesman told AFP, adding that there were still "pockets of fire" smouldering in a ravine.

A massive force of nearly 400 firefighters backed by more than 100 vehicles, nine planes and four helicopters remains in the area.

Two water bombers from Italy and one from Spain are assisting the effort, the spokesman said.

"It's quite a large perimeter that needs to be monitored," civil protection spokesman Spyros Georgiou told AFP.

But as the situation was improving, the Italian and Spanish crews would be withdrawn from the operation by the evening, he said. They are to be decorated by the agency for their assistance on Saturday.

Rain is expected in the area on Saturday.

State agency ANA said the fire, which broke out Tuesday, has burned some 2,400 hectares (5,600 acres) including more than 1,000 hectares of dense pine forest.

"We should be able to have a clearer picture of the exact damage on Monday," Georgiou said.

After touring the area earlier in the week, he said that there was confirmed damage to animal pens and beehives.

EU Humanitarian Commissioner Christos Stylianides on Wednesday called the mobilisation of Greek forces "exemplary" after emergency crews managed to save inhabited areas.

A firefighter was hospitalised with burns on Tuesday, and at least four cars have been burned.

Authorities suspect arson was involved as the fire broke out in three separate locations near the village of Makrymalli.

Two Greek men were arrested Thursday on suspicion of setting fires in the Peloponnese peninsula.

A third Greek man was arrested in the same area on Friday.

Greece has been hit by a spate of wildfires since the weekend, fanned by gale-force winds and temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Firefighters in Greece on Friday made progress against a four-day wildfire on the island of Evia that has burned through a pine forest and threatened villages, officials said.

Firefighters in Greece on Friday made progress against a four-day wildfire on the island of Evia that has burned through a pine forest and threatened villages, officials said. "The situation looks better today, there is no active front, but our forces remain in place," a fire department spokesman told AFP, adding that there were still "pockets of fire" smouldering in a ravine. A massive force of nearly 400 firefighters backed by more than 100 vehicles, nine planes and four helicopters remains in the area. Two water bombers from Italy and one from Spain are assisting the effort, the spokesman said. "It's quite a large perimeter that needs to be monitored," civil protection spokesman Spyros Georgiou told AFP. But as the situation was improving, the Italian and Spanish crews would be withdrawn from the operation by the evening, he said. They are to be decorated by the agency for their assistance on Saturday. Rain is expected in the area on Saturday. State agency ANA said the fire, which broke out Tuesday, has burned some 2,400 hectares (5,600 acres) including more than 1,000 hectares of dense pine forest. "We should be able to have a clearer picture of the exact damage on Monday," Georgiou said. After touring the area earlier in the week, he said that there was confirmed damage to animal pens and beehives. EU Humanitarian Commissioner Christos Stylianides on Wednesday called the mobilisation of Greek forces "exemplary" after emergency crews managed to save inhabited areas. A firefighter was hospitalised with burns on Tuesday, and at least four cars have been burned. Authorities suspect arson was involved as the fire broke out in three separate locations near the village of Makrymalli. Two Greek men were arrested Thursday on suspicion of setting fires in the Peloponnese peninsula. A third Greek man was arrested in the same area on Friday. Greece has been hit by a spate of wildfires since the weekend, fanned by gale-force winds and temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Greek fire crews make progress on island blaze

Once home to rice farmers and their luscious green paddy fields, this Indonesian village is now a dump for truckloads of rubbish.

From rice fields to trash fields: Indonesian farmers find profit in pollution

It is like a ticking time bomb and the people who can stop it are doing nothing but stare.

"Feels frustrating that we have to remind them to save our home - it is theirs too! Isn't it our collective duty? There is no planet B" -- some of the chants one gets to hear at marches, demonstrations and vigils being organized across India with one common objective - to save our planet.

School students have also been joining the protests - taking inspiration from Sweden's 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg.

The children want to educate adults on how denial and subsequent inaction on climate change mean we are wasting precious time.
<img alt="School students" data-align="center" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c25b6932-4725-4dd4-a737-1d8b1b9cc551" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/climate_0.jpg" />
15-year-old climate activist Asheer Kandhari is one of them. She has been taking to the streets with her school friends as part of 'Fridays for Future', a global movement pushing for climate action.

Asheer grew up learning that each one can do their bit - with her mother telling her to switch off the lights when leaving the room or closing the tap while brushing - basics that go a long way.

"Climate Change doesn't affect just us humans. Thousands of species are bearing the brunt of our actions. We have no right to destroy their natural habitats. How is it that we can see what's coming and others cannot? Or do they not want to? What are they leaving behind for future generations?", she asks.

But one can no longer pretend to not see Climate Change. It is all around us. And it's only getting worse. 
The threat is as real as it can get. July 2019 was the hottest month in Earth’s recorded history.

So far this year, world headlines have been dominated by news of heatwaves, floods, tsunamis and wildfires.

India is already staring at its worst long-term water crisis. 
 
21 Indian cities are predicted to run out of groundwater by 2020 according to the government think-tank NITI Aayog. 
 
600 million people or nearly half of the country's population are at risk of facing an acute shortage. 
 
And at least one-third of Himalayan ice, among the world’s most vital water resources, is set to disappear by the end of the century.

The list of warnings is endless. But the time to act is limited. 
 
We are the last generation that can prevent irreparable damage to our planet. And we have just over a decade's time to do so.

There are many who realise the urgency. And Aman Sharma is trying his best to reach out to those who don't. The Delhi-based 16-year-old activist is on a mission.

He launched a petition in May this year calling on the Indian Government to declare a climate emergency. It now has over 230,000 signatures.

"The issue first has to be officially recognised as an emergency; a threat to our citizens. Until we acknowledge that climate change is a problem, we cannot come up with a solid plan", says Aman.

A birder at heart, Aman knew it was time to act when he saw the changes happening in our urban ecosystem.

"My brother and father developed conditions due to rising levels of pollution which meant we couldn't stay in Delhi during the Diwali festive period because of how horrible the air was. Plus the decrease in a number of birds with each passing year and our cities getting hotter. All of this made me ask - if we don't act now, then when?"

He started off from his own school where he won his first battle against plastic. 
 
After noticing that students were purchasing multiple bottles of water from the school canteen which meant that hundreds of plastic bottles were getting sold each day, Aman resolved to put an end to this.

He spoke to the owner of the canteen, gave the authorities a letter talking about what plastic was doing to marine life and ultimately with the help of efforts from the school Principal, the canteen stopped housing plastic bottles.

"The next step will be to completely eliminate single-use plastic items."

Aman demands an enforced ban in the country on the use of plastic, an increase in green cover along with the regulated implementation of waste segregation policies.

He also talks about the need to focus energies on finding innovative ways to tackle the crisis. For instance, an emission control device that turns pollutants into ink. Manufactured as part of an initiative led by a team of young Indian engineers - Arpit Dhupar, Kushagra Srivastava and Prateek Sachan - it captures emissions from the exhaust of diesel generators and the particulate matter is then processed into usable products like inks and paints.

"It is so scary to imagine that we are using up our resources like they are unlimited. One straw that you use for a minute to have your drink is going to be around till after my children die. This is not a distant crisis", Aman says.

The crisis, in fact, is as immediate as it can be. After a heatwave in several parts, India is now witnessing floods in the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra - a year after Kerala was ravaged by the worst flood in a century.

"In Asia, mitigation alone is not enough. We also have to focus on climate change adaptation for which preparedness is an essential strategy. Plus India has a long coastline which makes it crucial to protect natural flood barriers like mangrove forests that are currently under threat due to coastal infrastructure projects", warns Rozita Singh, a young sustainability researcher and urban development practitioner.

She takes a keen interest in promoting the practice of composting. "Each person can contribute to controlling greenhouse gas emissions. People think it is the government's job, not theirs. That's where they are wrong. Composting can easily begin at home. You just need to identify your needs and find the right kind of vessel. It is an extremely simple process that nature will thank you for."

They say little drops make the mighty ocean. So little drops can also save it.

Will you make yours count?

After all, we are in this together. And as Aman puts it - there is no Iron man or Thor coming to rescue us. We have to save ourselves. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

It is like a ticking time bomb and the people who can stop it are doing nothing but stare. "Feels frustrating that we have to remind them to save our home - it is theirs too!

It is like a ticking time bomb and the people who can stop it are doing nothing but stare. "Feels frustrating that we have to remind them to save our home - it is theirs too! Isn't it our collective duty? There is no planet B" -- some of the chants one gets to hear at marches, demonstrations and vigils being organized across India with one common objective - to save our planet. School students have also been joining the protests - taking inspiration from Sweden's 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg. The children want to educate adults on how denial and subsequent inaction on climate change mean we are wasting precious time. 15-year-old climate activist Asheer Kandhari is one of them. She has been taking to the streets with her school friends as part of 'Fridays for Future', a global movement pushing for climate action. Asheer grew up learning that each one can do their bit - with her mother telling her to switch off the lights when leaving the room or closing the tap while brushing - basics that go a long way. "Climate Change doesn't affect just us humans. Thousands of species are bearing the brunt of our actions. We have no right to destroy their natural habitats. How is it that we can see what's coming and others cannot? Or do they not want to? What are they leaving behind for future generations?", she asks. But one can no longer pretend to not see Climate Change. It is all around us. And it's only getting worse. The threat is as real as it can get. July 2019 was the hottest month in Earth’s recorded history. So far this year, world headlines have been dominated by news of heatwaves, floods, tsunamis and wildfires. India is already staring at its worst long-term water crisis. 21 Indian cities are predicted to run out of groundwater by 2020 according to the government think-tank NITI Aayog. 600 million people or nearly half of the country's population are at risk of facing an acute shortage. And at least one-third of Himalayan ice, among the world’s most vital water resources, is set to disappear by the end of the century. The list of warnings is endless. But the time to act is limited. We are the last generation that can prevent irreparable damage to our planet. And we have just over a decade's time to do so. There are many who realise the urgency. And Aman Sharma is trying his best to reach out to those who don't. The Delhi-based 16-year-old activist is on a mission. He launched a petition in May this year calling on the Indian Government to declare a climate emergency. It now has over 230,000 signatures. "The issue first has to be officially recognised as an emergency; a threat to our citizens. Until we acknowledge that climate change is a problem, we cannot come up with a solid plan", says Aman. A birder at heart, Aman knew it was time to act when he saw the changes happening in our urban ecosystem. "My brother and father developed conditions due to rising levels of pollution which meant we couldn't stay in Delhi during the Diwali festive period because of how horrible the air was. Plus the decrease in a number of birds with each passing year and our cities getting hotter. All of this made me ask - if we don't act now, then when?" He started off from his own school where he won his first battle against plastic. After noticing that students were purchasing multiple bottles of water from the school canteen which meant that hundreds of plastic bottles were getting sold each day, Aman resolved to put an end to this. He spoke to the owner of the canteen, gave the authorities a letter talking about what plastic was doing to marine life and ultimately with the help of efforts from the school Principal, the canteen stopped housing plastic bottles. "The next step will be to completely eliminate single-use plastic items." Aman demands an enforced ban in the country on the use of plastic, an increase in green cover along with the regulated implementation of waste segregation policies. He also talks about the need to focus energies on finding innovative ways to tackle the crisis. For instance, an emission control device that turns pollutants into ink. Manufactured as part of an initiative led by a team of young Indian engineers - Arpit Dhupar, Kushagra Srivastava and Prateek Sachan - it captures emissions from the exhaust of diesel generators and the particulate matter is then processed into usable products like inks and paints. "It is so scary to imagine that we are using up our resources like they are unlimited. One straw that you use for a minute to have your drink is going to be around till after my children die. This is not a distant crisis", Aman says. The crisis, in fact, is as immediate as it can be. After a heatwave in several parts, India is now witnessing floods in the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra - a year after Kerala was ravaged by the worst flood in a century. "In Asia, mitigation alone is not enough. We also have to focus on climate change adaptation for which preparedness is an essential strategy. Plus India has a long coastline which makes it crucial to protect natural flood barriers like mangrove forests that are currently under threat due to coastal infrastructure projects", warns Rozita Singh, a young sustainability researcher and urban development practitioner. She takes a keen interest in promoting the practice of composting. "Each person can contribute to controlling greenhouse gas emissions. People think it is the government's job, not theirs. That's where they are wrong. Composting can easily begin at home. You just need to identify your needs and find the right kind of vessel. It is an extremely simple process that nature will thank you for." They say little drops make the mighty ocean. So little drops can also save it. Will you make yours count? After all, we are in this together. And as Aman puts it - there is no Iron man or Thor coming to rescue us. We have to save ourselves. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Saving our burning home

Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg will set sail for New York on Wednesday (August 14), crossing the Atlantic in a racing yacht with no shower or toilet to join protests in the United States and take part in a United Nations summit.

Climate campaigner Greta prepares to sail to the U.S

Dozens of people clutching bags full of <a href="Dozens of people clutching bags full of plastic bottles">plastic bottles and disposable cups </a>queue at a busy bus terminal in the Indonesian city of Surabaya where passengers can swap trash for travel tickets.

The nation is the world's second-biggest marine polluter behind China and has pledged to reduce plastic waste in its waters some 70 per cent by 2025 by boosting recycling, raising public awareness, and curbing usage.

The Surabaya scheme has been a hit in the city of 2.9 million, with nearly 16,000 passengers trading trash for free travel each week, according to authorities.

"This is a very smart solution. It's free and instead of throwing away bottles people now collect them and bring them here," explains 48-year-old resident Fransiska Nugrahepi.

An hour-long bus ride with unlimited stops costs three large bottles, five medium bottles or 10 plastic cups. But they must be cleaned and cannot be squashed.&nbsp;

There is a steady stream of people squeezing past sacks full of recyclables to deposit plastic in four bins behind the small office and claim their tickets.

Franki Yuanus, a Surabaya transport official, says the program aims not only to cut waste but also to tackle traffic congestion by encouraging people to switch to public transit.

"There has been a good response from the public," insists Yuanus, adding: "Paying with plastic is one of the things that has made people enthusiastic because up until now plastic waste was just seen as useless."

Currently, the fleet consists of 20 near-new buses, each with<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/i-like-plastic-pakistans-toxic-love-affair-with-waste-240201"> recycling bins and ticket officers</a> who roam the aisles to collect any leftover bottles.

Authorities said roughly six tons of plastic rubbish is collected from passengers each month before being auctioned to recycling companies.

Nurhayati Anwar, who uses the bus about once a week with her three-year-old son, said the trash swap program is changing how people see their throwaway cups and bottles.

"Now people in the office or at home are trying to collect (rubbish) instead of just throwing it away,” the 44-year-old accountant told AFP after trading in several bottles for a free ride.

"We now know that plastic is not good for the environment people in Surabaya are starting to learn."

Other parts of Indonesia, an archipelago of some 17,000 islands, are also trying to tackle the issue.

Bali is phasing in a ban on single-use plastic straws and bags to rid the popular holiday island of waste choking its waterways, while authorities in the capital Jakarta are considering a similar bylaw to rid the city of plastic shopping bags.

Governments around the globe are increasingly taking measures to curb the menace of disposable plastic.

A 2016 report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation warned there would be more plastic than fish, by weight, in the seas by 2050.&nbsp;

It estimated eight million tonnes of plastics enter oceans annually.

It added: "This is equivalent to dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. If no action is taken, this is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050." 
&nbsp;

Dozens of people clutching bags full of plastic bottles and disposable cups queue at a busy bus terminal in the Indonesian city of Surabaya where passengers can swap trash for travel tickets.

Dozens of people clutching bags full of plastic bottles and disposable cups queue at a busy bus terminal in the Indonesian city of Surabaya where passengers can swap trash for travel tickets. The nation is the world's second-biggest marine polluter behind China and has pledged to reduce plastic waste in its waters some 70 per cent by 2025 by boosting recycling, raising public awareness, and curbing usage. The Surabaya scheme has been a hit in the city of 2.9 million, with nearly 16,000 passengers trading trash for free travel each week, according to authorities. "This is a very smart solution. It's free and instead of throwing away bottles people now collect them and bring them here," explains 48-year-old resident Fransiska Nugrahepi. An hour-long bus ride with unlimited stops costs three large bottles, five medium bottles or 10 plastic cups. But they must be cleaned and cannot be squashed. There is a steady stream of people squeezing past sacks full of recyclables to deposit plastic in four bins behind the small office and claim their tickets. Franki Yuanus, a Surabaya transport official, says the program aims not only to cut waste but also to tackle traffic congestion by encouraging people to switch to public transit. "There has been a good response from the public," insists Yuanus, adding: "Paying with plastic is one of the things that has made people enthusiastic because up until now plastic waste was just seen as useless." Currently, the fleet consists of 20 near-new buses, each with recycling bins and ticket officers who roam the aisles to collect any leftover bottles. Authorities said roughly six tons of plastic rubbish is collected from passengers each month before being auctioned to recycling companies. Nurhayati Anwar, who uses the bus about once a week with her three-year-old son, said the trash swap program is changing how people see their throwaway cups and bottles. "Now people in the office or at home are trying to collect (rubbish) instead of just throwing it away,” the 44-year-old accountant told AFP after trading in several bottles for a free ride. "We now know that plastic is not good for the environment people in Surabaya are starting to learn." Other parts of Indonesia, an archipelago of some 17,000 islands, are also trying to tackle the issue. Bali is phasing in a ban on single-use plastic straws and bags to rid the popular holiday island of waste choking its waterways, while authorities in the capital Jakarta are considering a similar bylaw to rid the city of plastic shopping bags. Governments around the globe are increasingly taking measures to curb the menace of disposable plastic. A 2016 report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation warned there would be more plastic than fish, by weight, in the seas by 2050. It estimated eight million tonnes of plastics enter oceans annually. It added: "This is equivalent to dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. If no action is taken, this is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050."

Trash for tickets on Indonesia's 'Plastic bus'

Many argue that climate change is not a recent problem and has been occurring for millions of years, citing examples of the Little Ice Age. What they fail to realise is that humans have much more to lose now than they had then. Further, today humans are in a position to prevent and reduce climate change because they are the ones causing it.

Having said that, humans are not the only species bearing the brunt of climate change. Insects are also feeling the heat. However, the insect, animal and avian world have been bearing the cross of human progress for centuries. Dodo’s, passenger pigeons, the cheetah in India and a host of other species have been squashed underfoot in the march of progress. It is reported that since humans overran the planet after the last ice age, more than 300 mammal species have been wiped out.

Did their disappearance have an impact on human existence? Nobody knows because neither are the consequences immediately visible nor is the connection between the extinction of species and its impact on humans easy to ascertain.

In the modern world, the first impacts of the use of chemical pesticides was documented in Rachel Carsen’s book ‘Silent Spring’. She observed the absence of bird song and related it to the use of pesticides. These chemicals were not only killing weeds and bugs, but also birds and other insects -natural predators of such bugs. Chemicals are very secular, they harm everyone without prejudice.

In time, pests not only became immune to pesticides, but their natural predators also reduced, resulting in more chemicals in the field. Exposure to chemicals also began to affect humans. Skin rashes, breathing problems and lower IQ in children were some of the problems that began to be reported from farms. The war on pests has resulted in collateral damage both on humans and other species.

A study by the Zoological Society of London and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) states that ‘we have wiped out 58 per cent of animal life between 1970 and 2012’. &nbsp;

Recent reports suggest insects are facing mass extinction. A study conducted in the rain forests of Puerto Rico reported a decline, by a factor of four or eight, in the number of insects and invertebrates caught in traps. While the number of insects caught in sticky traps declined by a factor of 60, all caused by chemical-intensive agriculture, climate change and urbanisation.

A global scientific review reported in The Guardian states that the global mass of insects is falling at the rate of 2.5 per cent a year. They could vanish within a century. These are food for other creatures higher up in the food chain. As per researchers, this decline has coincided with the loss of birds, lizards and frogs.

Now, why should this be a worry for us? It can be argued that this should be the least of our worries as we are on top of the food chain, can make babies and meat in the laboratory, and can harness the wind and sun.

We should be concerned and here is why. According to scientists, it would take almost 3 million years for evolution to naturally replace species made extinct by humans.

Insects are pollinators and waste management experts, controlling other insects, keeping the soil healthy while also serving the most important function – being food for those higher up the food chain.

In the absence of pollinators, many plant species will disappear. Sure, the argument can be made that humans will be able to recreate such plants in the laboratory.

Approximately 87 per cent of the over 300,000 species of plants need external pollinators, where would one begin?

There is enough proof to declare that our handling of excreta is not as good as that of the dung beetle. Can human’s copy the magic that the earthworm performs on the soil? That being said, seed companies develop seeds in the laboratories to be sold to farmers along with pesticides and other chemicals. So, some can argue that agriculture will not be affected by insect decline. However, chemical residue in food and water sources links back to pesticide and fertiliser use.

There have been five earlier mass extinctions in the last 4 billion years. These were caused by volcanic eruptions, meteorite impacts and the ice age. Humans did not have much to lose then as they do now. One is not only speaking about death.

The development has inured many of us to a way of life far removed from hardships, money has been invested to ensure that one is not accosted by survival issues that our forefathers faced. The collapse of the insect world will potentially add to other woes destabilising the socio-economic system. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Is the decline of insects an existential threat like climate change? The answer is I don’t know, nor would I like to find out. &nbsp;

Are we equipped to battle a potential second existential threat? The answer is a NO, looking at the way we are handling the climate crisis.

Many in power either refuse to acknowledge the threat of Climate Change or don’t do enough to reduce the impact their economies have on the climate, for example moving to renewables from fossil fuels. Humanity is already paying for this dilly-dallying monetarily. According to a report by Christian Aid, the cost of 10 major climatic events in 2018, including the floods in Kerala, ranged from $1 billion to seven billion each.

Though there are many reports on the decline of insect populations, there is no official acknowledgement of this threat and its potential impacts. But should we wait for that? As individuals, there are many things that can be done. Going organic, using natural pesticides at home, growing home gardens are some of the day-to-day activities that come to mind. If you haven’t started as yet, there is no better time than now. 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-bearing-brunt-of-climate-change-2778913">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;

Many argue that climate change is not a recent problem and has been occurring for millions of years, citing examples of the Little Ice Age. What they fail to realise is that humans have much more to lose now than they had then.

Many argue that climate change is not a recent problem and has been occurring for millions of years, citing examples of the Little Ice Age. What they fail to realise is that humans have much more to lose now than they had then. Further, today humans are in a position to prevent and reduce climate change because they are the ones causing it. Having said that, humans are not the only species bearing the brunt of climate change. Insects are also feeling the heat. However, the insect, animal and avian world have been bearing the cross of human progress for centuries. Dodo’s, passenger pigeons, the cheetah in India and a host of other species have been squashed underfoot in the march of progress. It is reported that since humans overran the planet after the last ice age, more than 300 mammal species have been wiped out. Did their disappearance have an impact on human existence? Nobody knows because neither are the consequences immediately visible nor is the connection between the extinction of species and its impact on humans easy to ascertain. In the modern world, the first impacts of the use of chemical pesticides was documented in Rachel Carsen’s book ‘Silent Spring’. She observed the absence of bird song and related it to the use of pesticides. These chemicals were not only killing weeds and bugs, but also birds and other insects -natural predators of such bugs. Chemicals are very secular, they harm everyone without prejudice. In time, pests not only became immune to pesticides, but their natural predators also reduced, resulting in more chemicals in the field. Exposure to chemicals also began to affect humans. Skin rashes, breathing problems and lower IQ in children were some of the problems that began to be reported from farms. The war on pests has resulted in collateral damage both on humans and other species. A study by the Zoological Society of London and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) states that ‘we have wiped out 58 per cent of animal life between 1970 and 2012’. Recent reports suggest insects are facing mass extinction. A study conducted in the rain forests of Puerto Rico reported a decline, by a factor of four or eight, in the number of insects and invertebrates caught in traps. While the number of insects caught in sticky traps declined by a factor of 60, all caused by chemical-intensive agriculture, climate change and urbanisation. A global scientific review reported in The Guardian states that the global mass of insects is falling at the rate of 2.5 per cent a year. They could vanish within a century. These are food for other creatures higher up in the food chain. As per researchers, this decline has coincided with the loss of birds, lizards and frogs. Now, why should this be a worry for us? It can be argued that this should be the least of our worries as we are on top of the food chain, can make babies and meat in the laboratory, and can harness the wind and sun. We should be concerned and here is why. According to scientists, it would take almost 3 million years for evolution to naturally replace species made extinct by humans. Insects are pollinators and waste management experts, controlling other insects, keeping the soil healthy while also serving the most important function – being food for those higher up the food chain. In the absence of pollinators, many plant species will disappear. Sure, the argument can be made that humans will be able to recreate such plants in the laboratory. Approximately 87 per cent of the over 300,000 species of plants need external pollinators, where would one begin? There is enough proof to declare that our handling of excreta is not as good as that of the dung beetle. Can human’s copy the magic that the earthworm performs on the soil? That being said, seed companies develop seeds in the laboratories to be sold to farmers along with pesticides and other chemicals. So, some can argue that agriculture will not be affected by insect decline. However, chemical residue in food and water sources links back to pesticide and fertiliser use. There have been five earlier mass extinctions in the last 4 billion years. These were caused by volcanic eruptions, meteorite impacts and the ice age. Humans did not have much to lose then as they do now. One is not only speaking about death. The development has inured many of us to a way of life far removed from hardships, money has been invested to ensure that one is not accosted by survival issues that our forefathers faced. The collapse of the insect world will potentially add to other woes destabilising the socio-economic system. Is the decline of insects an existential threat like climate change? The answer is I don’t know, nor would I like to find out. Are we equipped to battle a potential second existential threat? The answer is a NO, looking at the way we are handling the climate crisis. Many in power either refuse to acknowledge the threat of Climate Change or don’t do enough to reduce the impact their economies have on the climate, for example moving to renewables from fossil fuels. Humanity is already paying for this dilly-dallying monetarily. According to a report by Christian Aid, the cost of 10 major climatic events in 2018, including the floods in Kerala, ranged from $1 billion to seven billion each. Though there are many reports on the decline of insect populations, there is no official acknowledgement of this threat and its potential impacts. But should we wait for that? As individuals, there are many things that can be done. Going organic, using natural pesticides at home, growing home gardens are some of the day-to-day activities that come to mind. If you haven’t started as yet, there is no better time than now. (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.)

Bearing brunt of climate change

Nine lions that were confiscated by Hungarian authorities from an illegal zoo near Budapest have been moved to a bear farm in Veresegyhaz.

Rescued lions taken to bear farm in Hungary

Kailash Gahlot, a minister in the Delhi government, was given the additional portfolio of Environment, Forest and Wildlife after a minor reshuffle in the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/arvind-kejriwal-manish-sisodia-get-bail-in-defamation-suit-filed-by-bjps-vijender-gupta-236391&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiz74WQurnjAhXp63MBHY9aDSUQFjAAegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Hbzh5HhkONuHSWl-pRO9M">Arvind Kejriwal</a> government on July 13.

"Consequent upon the allocation of the aforesaid portfolio to Kailash Gahlot, Minister, the portfolio of Environment, Forest and Wild Life earlier allocated to Imran Hussain, Minister, stands withdrawn," read the official notification.

The decision was taken by Lt Governor Anil Baijal in consultation with Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi.&nbsp;

Imran Hussain will now be holding only two portfolios- Food and Supply and Election.

After the reshuffle, Gahlot will now be dealing with five portfolios- Administrative Reforms; Information &amp; Technology; Law, Justice &amp; Legislative Affairs; Transport; Revenue; and Environment, Forest &amp; Wildlife.&nbsp;

Kailash Gahlot, a minister in the Delhi government, was given the additional portfolio of Environment, Forest and Wildlife after a minor reshuffle in the Arvind Kejriwal government on July 13.

Kailash Gahlot, a minister in the Delhi government, was given the additional portfolio of Environment, Forest and Wildlife after a minor reshuffle in the Arvind Kejriwal government on July 13. "Consequent upon the allocation of the aforesaid portfolio to Kailash Gahlot, Minister, the portfolio of Environment, Forest and Wild Life earlier allocated to Imran Hussain, Minister, stands withdrawn," read the official notification. The decision was taken by Lt Governor Anil Baijal in consultation with Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi. Imran Hussain will now be holding only two portfolios- Food and Supply and Election. After the reshuffle, Gahlot will now be dealing with five portfolios- Administrative Reforms; Information & Technology; Law, Justice & Legislative Affairs; Transport; Revenue; and Environment, Forest & Wildlife.

Delhi: Kailash Gahlot appointed as new environment minister

Driving <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-overcast-clouds-rain-expected-at-manchester-ahead-of-india-vs-new-zealand-semi-final-234185">rains</a> flooded parts of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/4th-july-celebrations-battle-tanks-arrive-in-washington-trump-promises-incredible-flyovers-biggest-ever-fireworks-232578">Washington, D.C.,</a> on Monday, shattering a daily record in just an hour, forcing 15 swift-water rescues from stranded cars and causing an undeniable leak in the White House.

"This is a life-threatening situation. Seek higher ground now!" the National Weather Service warned amid torrential <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/railway-services-resume-in-mumbai-amid-heavy-rains-no-water-logging-reported-234162">rains</a> that dropped 3.3 inches (8.4 cm) at Reagan National Airport from 9 a.m. through 10 a.m. ET (1200-1300 GMT), shattering in one hour the previous record of 2.2 inches (5.6 cm) set in 1958.

It was the seventh-wettest July day since record-keeping began in 1871, said NWS meteorologist Marc Chenard.

"They broke their daily record in an hour," he said.

Even more, rainfall was recorded further northwest, in Arlington, Virginia, where about 5 inches (12.7 cm) fell from 9 to 10 a.m., Chenard said.

The rains eased by late morning and were expected to end by midday, Chenard said.

Torrents of water streamed through the ceiling of Metro stations, and major arteries serving Washington's top museums and memorials shut down due to high water as local emergency personnel reported rescuing several people from cars. By midday, DC Fire and EMS said it had saved 15 drivers.

Firefighters used yellow rubber lifeboats to rescue those trapped by the flood waters.

Twitter images showed a photograph of a very wet floor beneath office chairs and desks on the basement level of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

"White House is leaking," CNN journalist Betsy Klein tweeted with the picture.

Driving rains flooded parts of Washington, D.C., on Monday, shattering a daily record in just an hour, forcing 15 swift-water rescues from stranded cars and causing an undeniable leak in the White House.

Driving rains flooded parts of Washington, D.C., on Monday, shattering a daily record in just an hour, forcing 15 swift-water rescues from stranded cars and causing an undeniable leak in the White House. "This is a life-threatening situation. Seek higher ground now!" the National Weather Service warned amid torrential rains that dropped 3.3 inches (8.4 cm) at Reagan National Airport from 9 a.m. through 10 a.m. ET (1200-1300 GMT), shattering in one hour the previous record of 2.2 inches (5.6 cm) set in 1958. It was the seventh-wettest July day since record-keeping began in 1871, said NWS meteorologist Marc Chenard. "They broke their daily record in an hour," he said. Even more, rainfall was recorded further northwest, in Arlington, Virginia, where about 5 inches (12.7 cm) fell from 9 to 10 a.m., Chenard said. The rains eased by late morning and were expected to end by midday, Chenard said. Torrents of water streamed through the ceiling of Metro stations, and major arteries serving Washington's top museums and memorials shut down due to high water as local emergency personnel reported rescuing several people from cars. By midday, DC Fire and EMS said it had saved 15 drivers. Firefighters used yellow rubber lifeboats to rescue those trapped by the flood waters. Twitter images showed a photograph of a very wet floor beneath office chairs and desks on the basement level of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. "White House is leaking," CNN journalist Betsy Klein tweeted with the picture.

Life-threatening rains pound US capital; White House basement offices leak

A recent study has suggested that the process of reforestation around the world would be the most effective method to combat <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tornado-hits-northeast-china-as-more-extreme-weather-strikes-six-killed-190-injured-232916">climate change</a>.

Around 0.9 billion hectares of land worldwide would be suitable for reforestation, which could ultimately capture two-thirds of human-made carbon emissions.

Researchers investigated nature-based solutions to climate change. In the latest study published in the journal 'Science', researchers for the first time, showed where in the world new trees could grow and how much carbon they would store.

"One aspect was of particular importance to us as we did the calculations, we excluded cities or agricultural areas from the total restoration potential as these areas are needed for human life," study lead author Jean-Francois Bastin explained.

The researchers calculated that under the current climate conditions, Earth's land could support 4.4 billion hectares of continuous tree cover. That is 1.6 billion more than the currently existing 2.8 billion hectares.

Of these 1.6 billion hectares, 0.9 billion hectares fulfil the criterion of not being used by humans. This means that there is currently an area of the size of the US available for tree restoration.

Once mature, these new forests could store 205 billion tonnes of carbon,&nbsp;about two-thirds of the 300 billion tonnes of carbon that has been released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity since the Industrial Revolution.

"We all knew that restoring forests could play a part in tackling climate change, but we didn't really know how big the impact would be. Our study shows clearly that forest restoration is the best climate change solution available today. But we must act quickly, as new forests will take decades to mature and achieve their full potential as a source of natural carbon storage," said co-author of the study, Prof. Thomas Crowther.

The study also shows which parts of the world are most suited to forest restoration.

The greatest potential can be found in just six countries:

Russia (151 million hectares)&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/why-china-is-afraid-of-us-abrams-tanks-to-be-delivered-to-taiwan-234260#us-army-infantry-battalions-m1-abrams-tanks-234232">US</a> (103 million hectares)

Canada (78.4 million hectares)

Australia (58 million hectares)

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/lionel-messi-slams-brazil-fix-after-copa-red-card-233729/amp">Brazil</a> (49.7 million hectares)

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sale-of-weapons-to-taiwan-violates-one-china-policy-cancel-it-immediately-china-to-us-234236">China</a> (40.2 million hectares).

Many current climate models are wrong in expecting climate change to increase global tree cover, the study warns. It finds that there is likely to be an increase in the area of northern boreal forests in regions such as Siberia, but tree cover there averages only 30 to 40 per cent.&nbsp;

These gains would be outweighed by the losses suffered in dense tropical forests, which typically have 90 to 100 per cent tree cover.

A recent study has suggested that the process of reforestation around the world would be the most effective method to combat climate change. Around 0.9 billion hectares of land worldwide would be suitable for reforestation, which could ultimately capture two-thirds of human-made carbon emissions.

A recent study has suggested that the process of reforestation around the world would be the most effective method to combat climate change. Around 0.9 billion hectares of land worldwide would be suitable for reforestation, which could ultimately capture two-thirds of human-made carbon emissions. Researchers investigated nature-based solutions to climate change. In the latest study published in the journal 'Science', researchers for the first time, showed where in the world new trees could grow and how much carbon they would store. "One aspect was of particular importance to us as we did the calculations, we excluded cities or agricultural areas from the total restoration potential as these areas are needed for human life," study lead author Jean-Francois Bastin explained. The researchers calculated that under the current climate conditions, Earth's land could support 4.4 billion hectares of continuous tree cover. That is 1.6 billion more than the currently existing 2.8 billion hectares. Of these 1.6 billion hectares, 0.9 billion hectares fulfil the criterion of not being used by humans. This means that there is currently an area of the size of the US available for tree restoration. Once mature, these new forests could store 205 billion tonnes of carbon, about two-thirds of the 300 billion tonnes of carbon that has been released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity since the Industrial Revolution. "We all knew that restoring forests could play a part in tackling climate change, but we didn't really know how big the impact would be. Our study shows clearly that forest restoration is the best climate change solution available today. But we must act quickly, as new forests will take decades to mature and achieve their full potential as a source of natural carbon storage," said co-author of the study, Prof. Thomas Crowther. The study also shows which parts of the world are most suited to forest restoration. The greatest potential can be found in just six countries: Russia (151 million hectares) US (103 million hectares) Canada (78.4 million hectares) Australia (58 million hectares) Brazil (49.7 million hectares) China (40.2 million hectares). Many current climate models are wrong in expecting climate change to increase global tree cover, the study warns. It finds that there is likely to be an increase in the area of northern boreal forests in regions such as Siberia, but tree cover there averages only 30 to 40 per cent. These gains would be outweighed by the losses suffered in dense tropical forests, which typically have 90 to 100 per cent tree cover.

Experts find land as big as US for reforestation to reverse climate change effects

A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted on Wednesday (July 3), releasing hot trapped magma in a powerful explosion, killing one person and enveloping the popular tourist destination in ash, witnesses and local officials said.

Volcano erupts on Italian island of Stromboli, kills one person

Deforestation in Brazil's portion of the Amazon rainforest soared more than 88% in June compared with the same month a year ago, the second consecutive month of rising forest destruction under new right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.

Tropical rainforest destruction accelerating under Brazilian government

Leaders to discuss Global Economy, Environment and Employment in G20 Summit 2019

G20 Summit: Leaders to discuss Global Economy, Environment and Employment

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