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☆ ‘Backtracking:’ A year of climate failures ahead of a crucial summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

And yet, even as the climate crisis inserts itself viscerally into people’s lives, experts say the year has seen alarming backsliding on climate action. Green policies have been watered down, huge new oil and gas projects have been greenlit and coal has had something of a resurgence. As countries gather in Dubai for the UN’s COP28 climate summit, there are “high expectations,” said Harjeet Singh, the head of global political strategy at nonprofit Climate Action Network International. It sent worrying signals about climate backtracking, said Elisa Giannelli, a senior policy advisor at climate think tank E3G. Around 50% of its total capital spending needs to go toward clean energy projects by 2030, according to the report.

Persons: ”, Harjeet Singh, Kaveh Guilanpour, Singh, Biden, “, Erik Grafe, Joe Biden, Countess, Norway —, Elisa Giannelli, “ It’s, Rishi Sunak, Joeri Rogelj, Flora Champenois, It’s, Bernd Lauter, ” Rogelj, Darren Woods, Bernard Looney, Fatih Birol, Guilanpour, Claire Fyson, ” Fyson, “ we’re, ” CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Ivana Kottasová, Gan Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Action, “, Climate, Energy Solutions, US Department of Interior, Imperial College London, Global Energy Monitor, GEM, Getty, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Exxon, IEA, Climate Analytics Locations: Canada, Libyan, Dubai, Alaska, Washington ,, Australia, Norway, Europe, Germany, China, Asia, Ukraine, Eschweiler, COP28

☆ COP28: Sultan Al Jaber, UAE’s oil chief, is proving popular in the developing world, despite criticisms from the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Elizabeth Wells | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But long-promised finance from rich countries to help it make a green transition simply hasn’t arrived, President Wavel Ramkalawan told CNN in May. But Al Jaber’s decision to focus on increasing finance to help developing countries shift to renewable energy is helping his popularity in the Global South. A 2022 UN-backed report calculated developing countries will need about $2 trillion a year by 2030. “We have seen the West only being extractive and very opportunistic, and actually kept developing countries dependent on fossil fuels,” he said. “It needs to buy more time to diversify its economy further and wants to capitalize on its energy resources for as long as possible,” Vakil told CNN.

Persons: hasn’t, Wavel Ramkalawan, “ We’re, ” Ramkalawan, “, Al Jaber, Al Jaber’s, COP28, ” Al Jaber, Sultan Al Jaber, Abu, Christopher Pike, ADNOC, William Ruto, Masdar, Al Jaber —, ” Ruto, Simone Boccaccio, it’s, Harjeet Singh, Sanim Vakil, ” Vakil, ” Organizations: CNN, UN, Dubai, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, US, COP28, Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition, Bloomberg, Kenyan, UAE, Climate, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Seychelles, Canadian, Africa, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE, Kenya, Egypt, Turkana, UN

☆ World Bank to host climate loss and damage fund despite opposition from developing nations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Countries have moved a step closer to getting a fund off the ground to help poor states damaged by climate disasters, despite reservations from developing nations and the United States. The deal to create a “loss and damage” fund was hailed as a breakthrough for developing country negotiators at United Nations climate talks in Egypt last year, overcoming years of resistance from wealthy nations. The committee, representing a geographically diverse group of countries, on Saturday resolved to recommend the World Bank serve as trustee and host of the fund — a tension point that has fueled divisions between developed and developing nations. Housing a fund at the World Bank, whose presidents are appointed by the US, would give donor countries outsized influence over the fund and result in high fees for recipient countries, developing countries have argued. To get all countries on board, it was agreed the World Bank would serve as interim trustee and host of the fund for a four-year period.

Persons: Jennifer Morgan, — we’re, ”, Harjeet Singh, “ Rich, “, Sultan Ahmed al, Jaber Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Bank, Housing, World Bank, Berlin, Action, US State Department, Reuters Locations: United States, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, COP28

The deal to create a "loss and damage" fund was hailed as a breakthrough for developing country negotiators at United Nations climate talks in Egypt last year, overcoming years of resistance from wealthy nations. The committee, representing a geographically diverse group of countries, resolved to recommend the World Bank serve as trustee and host of the fund - a tension point that has fuelled divisions between developed and developing nations. Housing a fund at the World Bank, whose presidents are appointed by the U.S., would give donor countries outsized influence over the fund and result in high fees for recipient countries, developing countries have argued. To get all countries on board, it was agreed the World Bank would serve as interim trustee and host of the fund for a four-year period. "Rich countries ... have not only coerced developing nations into accepting the World Bank as the host of the Loss and Damage Fund but have also evaded their duty to lead in providing financial assistance to those communities and countries."

Persons: Tarusila, Loren Elliott, Jennifer Morgan, we're, Harjeet Singh, Sultan al, Jaber, Gloria Dickie, Valerie Volcovici, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Local, REUTERS, United Nations, Bank, Housing, World Bank, Action, U.S . State Department, Reuters, The U.S, Washington DC, Thomson Locations: Village, Fiji, United States, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, U.S, Berlin, COP28, London, Washington

Saleemul Huq, a pioneering climate scientist from Bangladesh who pushed to get the world to understand, pay for and adapt to worsening warming impacts on poorer nations, died of cardiac arrest Saturday. “Saleem always focused on the poor and marginalized, making sure that climate change was about people, their lives, health and livelihoods,” said University of Washington climate and health scientist Kristie Ebi, a friend of Huq’s. Huq, who died in Dhaka, directed and helped found the International Centre for Climate Change and Development there. He was an early force for community-based efforts to adapt to what climate change did to poor nations. United Nations climate negotiators last year approved the creation of that fund, but efforts to get it going further have so far stalled.

Persons: Saleemul Huq, “ Saleem, ”, Kristie Ebi, Huq’s, Huq, Queen Elizabeth II, ” Huq, “, Harjeet Singh, That’s, Joel Smith, he’s, ” Ebi, ” Smith, Smith, Ebi, ___, Seth Borenstein Organizations: University of Washington, International, International Institute for Environment, Development, Nations, . Environmental Protection Agency, Twitter, AP Locations: Bangladesh, Dhaka, London, England, British, Nations

NEW DELHI (AP) — G20 leaders agreed Saturday to triple renewable energy and try to increase the funds for climate change-related disasters but maintained the status quo with regards to phasing out carbon spewing coal. Even at the last meeting of the G20 climate ministers before the summit, disagreements had remained. Global leaders and climate experts say the declaration had largely taken the conversation forward, setting the stage for an ambitious climate agreement when they meet at the global climate conference, COP28, in Dubai later this year. For the first time, the G20 countries agreed on the amounts required to shift to clean energy. “However, it’s disappointing that the G20 could not agree on phasing down fossil fuels.”"Increasing renewables and reducing fossil fuels need to necessarily happen together – we need stronger bolder action from leaders on both.

Persons: Amitabh Kant, al, Jaber, ”, Harjeet Singh, Singh, Madhura Joshi Organizations: DELHI, Indian, Global, Climate Action, Global Energy Monitor, AP Locations: Dubai, Mumbai

☆ Rich nations pledge to unlock hundreds of billions of dollars for climate fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

World leaders and finance leaders attend the closing session of the New Global Financial Pact Summit, in Paris on June 23, 2023. The leaders, gathered at a summit in Paris to thrash out funding for the climate transition and post-COVID debt burdens of poor countries, said their plans would secure billions of dollars of matching investment from the private sector. An overdue pledge of $100 billion in climate finance for developing nations was also now in sight, they said. The announcements mark a scaling up of action from the development banks in the fight against climate change and set a direction for further change ahead of their annual meetings later in the year. However, some climate activists were critical of the results.

Persons: Lewis Joly, LEWIS JOLY, Janet Yellen, Harjeet Singh Organizations: New Global Financial, Getty Images, Bank, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Reuters, U.S, IMF, Paris Summit, Climate Action Locations: Paris

☆ Climate Change’s Fingerprints Turn Up in Parched East Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Now we must ensure that the fund is made fit for purpose,” said Harjeet Singh, head of political strategy for Climate Action Network International. There, the drought may have caused 43,000 excess deaths last year, according to estimates issued last month. Scientists know that global warming is increasing the average likelihood and severity of certain kinds of wild weather in many regions. It’s like smoking and cancer: The two are undeniably linked, but not all smokers develop cancer, and not all cancer patients were smokers. To determine the effects of global warming on individual weather episodes, climate researchers use computer simulations to compare the global climate as it really is — with billions of tons of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by humans over decades — and a hypothetical climate without any of those emissions.

☆ Historic compensation fund approved at U.N. climate talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The decision establishes a fund for what negotiators call loss and damage. Early Sunday morning, delegates approved the compensation fund but had not dealt with the contentious issues of an overall temperature goal, emissions cutting and the desire to target all fossil fuels for phase down. This year’s talks “were very focused on the fund and less on the mitigation (cutting emissions) part,” Eide added. However, that fight was overshadowed by the historic compensation fund. But like all climate financials, it is one thing to create a fund, it’s another to get money flowing in and out, she said.

☆ Analysis: Climate damage fund trumps 1.5C push as COP27 summit nears end
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Megan Rowling | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The focus on loss and damage certainly reflects that," said David Waskow, director of the international climate initiative at the U.S.-based World Resources Institute. Since COP26, only about 30 countries have strengthened their national plans to cut fossil fuel emissions. FOSSIL FUEL OMISSION? Progress toward reducing fossil fuel use - and the resulting climate-warming emissions - was less clear in the proposed deal. "Unabated" fuels are those whose emissions are not captured in some way to prevent them entering the atmosphere and adding to climate change.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden told the COP27 climate conference in Egypt on Friday that global warming posed an existential threat to the planet and promised the United States would meet its targets for fighting it. "The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security, and the very life of the planet," Biden told a crowded room of delegates at the U.N. summit in the seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Biden said global crises, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were not an excuse to lower climate ambition. U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech at COP27 climate summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 11, 2022. "It's radio silence on loss and damage finance," Singh said, calling Biden "out of touch with the reality of the climate crisis."

☆ 'This is not going to stop': Pakistan says apocalyptic flooding shows the need for reparations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Reparations, or "loss and damage" funding, are seen as a fundamental question of climate justice. The decision to include loss and damage funding as an agenda item, which was proposed by Pakistan, was preceded by 48 hours of talks. He now hopes the international community can find a way to collectively address financing for loss and damage. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Washington would not be "obstructing" talks on loss and damage in Sharm el-Sheikh. We are talking about the reality outside these conference walls," Singh told CNBC.

The COP27 climate summit gets underway in Egypt from Nov. 6. Climate Change Conference will see more than 30,000 delegates convene in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss collective action on the climate emergency. Loss and damage funding, meanwhile, is recognized by many as the third pillar of international climate policy. Kerry's openness to talks on loss and damage funding marked an abrupt change in tone from just one month earlier. Singh said political mobilization over loss and damage funding makes COP27 the most important COP yet.

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