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☆ Countries fail to reach agreement in UN plastic talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

BUSAN, South Korea Reuters —Countries negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic pollution have failed to reach agreement, with more than 100 nations wanting to cap production while a handful of oil-producers were prepared only to target plastic waste. The most divisive issues included capping plastic production, managing plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty. An option proposed by Panama, backed by more than 100 countries, would have created a path for a global plastic production reduction target, while another proposal did not include production caps. At Baku, countries set a new global target for mobilizing $300 billion annually in climate finance, a deal deemed woefully insufficient by small island states and many developing countries. Plastic production is on track to triple by 2050, and microplastics have been found in the air, fresh produce and even human breast milk.

Persons: ”, Inger Andersen, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Anthony Wallace, Juliet Kabera, Al Gwaiz, Saudi Arabia –, Cheikh Ndiaye Sylla, Chris Jahn, GAIA, “, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez Organizations: South Korea Reuters, UN Intergovernmental, UN, Getty, Rwanda’s Environment Management Authority, Saudi Arabian, Pollution, International Council of Chemical Associations, Panama’s Locations: BUSAN, South Korea, Busan, Panama, Nairobi, AFP, Saudi Arabia, China, United States, India, Paris, Baku, Azerbaijan

☆ Carbon capture: Scientists say the slime in your dishwasher could unlock a solution to global warming
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Scientists have scoured the depths of the ocean and outer space for microbes to help slow global warming. “Unusual colors, smells, textures, and other data” can help scientists identify areas of interest, Tierney said. The World Economic Forum named microbial carbon capture as one of the world’s top emerging technologies in a June report, but the technology is still in its infancy, with companies running pilot-scale programs to test commercial viability. Carbon capture — which includes a range of technology from huge vacuum-type facilities able to suck climate pollution from the air to carbon-absorbing sponges — remains controversial as a climate solution. “That’s why these technologies make sense in places where such energy is available in a sustainable manner.”The potential uses of extremophile microbes in biotech extend beyond carbon capture, according to Tierney.

Persons: Braden Tierney, ” Tierney, —, Tierney, ”, Wilfried Weber, isn’t, Weber, ” Ara Katz Organizations: CNN —, Seed, Health, CNN, “, Volunteers, Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Economic, UN, Seed Health Locations: United States, Vulcano, Germany, dishwashers

☆ The world hasn't been this warm in 100,000 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Data from ancient ice cores and tree rings suggest the world hasn't been this warm in 100,000 years. But climate scientists who track these trends were still shocked by how high temperatures soared. Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service made the official call this week. Carlo Buontempo, the service's director, said evidence suggests the world hasn't been this warm in 100,000 years, meaning no cities, farms, or other parts of modern society have ever endured this heat. AdvertisementBut the Copernicus climate scientists said that these weren't the only factors and that some required more research.

Persons: Carlo Buontempo, Buontempo, Copernicus, El Niño, Niño, Samantha Burgess, Burgess Organizations: Service, UN Locations: Business, Munich, Tonga, Paris

☆ Invasive species cost the world $423 billion every year and are causing environmental chaos, UN report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Scroll through the gallery to see more of the planet's most problematic invasive species. Sarefo / Wikimedia Commons In pictures: Invasive species around the world Prev Next‘Prevention, prevention, prevention’Along with invasive species, other key drivers of biodiversity loss include destruction of land and sea habitats, exploitation of organisms, climate change and pollution. As well as flammable invasive plants sparking and spreading wildfires, climate change is enabling invasive species to move north – even to remote areas such as high mountains, deserts and frozen tundra. Preventing the arrival of new species into new regions is the best way to manage threats from invasive species, according to the report. For invasive species that have already taken hold, eradication has been a useful tool, especially on islands, according to the report.

Persons: ”, Helen Roy, ” Roy, David Gray, Peter Stoett, Anibal Pauchard, Ian Hitchcock, Starling, MENAHEM KAHANA, Phil Mislinski, Jeff J Mitchell, SANJAY KANOJIA, MUNIR UZ ZAMAN, ” Stoett, Stoett, –, ” Pauchard Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Services, billabong, Nile Virus, Ontario Tech University, Chile’s Institute of Ecology, Pacific, World Wildlife Fund, US Department of Agriculture, USA, Studies, New Zealand Government, European, Starlings, AFP, Getty, North, Wikimedia Locations: Darwin, Australia, Africa, Caribbean, Guam, North America, Hawaii, Maui, Antarctica, Pacific, North, South America, Azov, China, Japan, Europe, Bermuda, New Zealand, New York, USA, Australasia, South Africa, United States, AFP, East Africa, Western Asia, Americas, Kenya, India, Puerto Rico, Kunming, Montreal

☆ Climate change: Extreme water stress affects a quarter of humanity and it's poised to get worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The biggest change in water demand will occur in sub-Saharan Africa according to the report, which projects a 163% increase in water demand by 2050. In North America and Europe, water demand has plateaued, helped by investment in water use efficiency measures. In the US, six states experience extremely high water stress, according to the report. People collect drinking water from in Cape Town on January 19, 2018, during a water crisis which saw the city nearly run dry. The report suggests various measures to prevent water stress spilling into a water crisis.

Persons: ”, Samantha Kuzma, “ I’ve, ” Kuzma, Will Lanzoni, Kuzma, “, Charles, Rodger Bosch, Dieter Gerten, – Organizations: CNN, Ocean Program, UN, Getty, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact Research Locations: Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Lake Mead, Boulder City , Nevada, East, North Africa, Africa, Saharan Africa, North America, Europe, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Charles Iceland, Cape Town, AFP, Vegas, Singapore

☆ The Arctic may be sea ice-free in summer by the 2030s, new study warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications found Arctic sea ice could disappear completely during the month of September as early as the 2030s. The researchers analyzed changes from 1979 to 2019, comparing different satellite data and climate models to assess how Arctic sea ice was changing. They found that declining sea ice was largely the result of human-caused, planet-heating pollution, and previous models had underestimated Arctic sea ice melting trends. Arctic sea ice close the coast of Svalbard, Norway, April 5, 2023. There has already been a rapid loss of sea ice in the region, with September sea ice shrinking at a rate of 12.6% per decade, according to NASA.

Persons: –, ” Seung, Min, Lisi Niesner, ” Min, Mika Rantanen, ”, Rantanen, “ Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, Pohang University of Science, Technology, UN, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Finnish Meteorological Institute Locations: South Korea, Svalbard, Norway

☆ 1.5-degree climate threshold won't prevent 'significant harm,' scientists report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —For years, the world has been focusing on a key climate change threshold: limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. But even at that threshold – which could begin to be breached within the next five years – millions of people will still face “significant harm,” including death, displacement and food and water scarcity, an international commission of researchers reported Wednesday. In a study published in the journal Nature, the panel of more than a dozen researchers integrated environmental justice – the idea that climate thresholds should minimize significant harm – with climate science. And they said that the key climate threshold nations pledged to meet in the Paris Agreement in 2015 – one that would ensure a “safe and just” world – should have been 1 degree Celsius. “We argue that there is no safe planet without justice,” Gupta said, underscoring that incorporating justice to the Earth system’s boundaries reduces significant harm to communities and individuals.

Persons: ”, Johan Rockström, Joyeeta Gupta, “, ” Gupta, Kim Cobb, ” Cobb Organizations: CNN, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact Research, Earth Commission, University of Amsterdam, Brown University Locations: Paris

☆ Charm gets $53 million to turn corn leftovers into oil and inject it into abandoned oil and gas wells
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The 112,000 tons of carbon dioxide that Charm will remove is more than ten times the total quantity of carbon dioxide that has been removed so far with human techniques. "It's sort of a brilliant, but accidental, discovery," Reinhardt told CNBC. "It's a little it's a little odd or unusual, but uniquely American, in that we're basically pumping barbecue sauce into old oil and gas wells," Reinhardt told CNBC. There are about 2 million abandoned oil and gas wells in the U.S., and owner-operators are eager to find another use for them, Reinhardt told CNBC. We will run out of waste biomass long before we before we exhaust the subsurface capacity," Reinhardt told CNBC.

[1/6] Skiers pass on a small layer of artificial snow amid warmer-than-usual winter temperatures in the Alps in Leysin, Switzerland, January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseLEYSIN, Switzerland, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Deprived of snow by unusually mild weather, Switzerland's world-renowned ski slopes have proven a disappointment to winter sports aficionados and resort managers eager to make the most of the holiday season. Norah Sweeney, a tourist from Boston, had prepared for a snowy Swiss sojourn, but her hopes quickly melted at the sight of yellowed grass on the slopes. MeteoSwiss, the country's federal office for meteorology and climatology, said Switzerland's average temperature of around 7.4 Celsius in 2022 was by far the warmest year since records began in 1864. Sophie Ruchet, a resident of the Vaud canton who learned to ski at Leysin, wonders if it's even worth having her children learn to ski.

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt CNN —Delegates from nearly 200 counties at the COP27 climate summit have agreed to set up a “loss and damage” fund meant to help vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters, in a landmark deal early Sunday morning in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. And in previous public remarks, US Climate Envoy John Kerry had said loss and damage was not the same thing as climate reparations. “This loss and damage fund will be a lifeline for poor families whose houses are destroyed, farmers whose fields are ruined, and islanders forced from their ancestral homes,” World Resources Institute CEO Ani Dasgupta said. Beyond 1.5 degrees, the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages will increase dramatically, scientists said in the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. On Saturday, EU officials threatened to walk out of the meeting if the final agreement failed to endorse the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

☆ COP27: World on track to increase emissions 10.6% by 2030 - UN report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030 is needed to limit warming to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. "At the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last year, all countries agreed to revisit and strengthen their climate plans," said Simon Stiell, executive secretary of UN Climate Change in a statement. "The fact that only 24 new or updated climate plans were submitted since COP26 is disappointing." The latter, which sees most emissions come from deforestation and peatland clearance, now says it will cut emissions levels by at least 31.89% by 2030. Last year's UN assessment found countries were on track to up emissions by 13.7% by 2030.

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