DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ COP27: Cities with net zero promises falling short on tracking, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 15 (Reuters) - More than half of cities with pledges to reach net zero emissions have no plan for how they'll track and report progress, an analysis published Tuesday said. A United Nations high-level expert group last week issued guidelines for how to avoid greenwashing on net-zero pledges. "Over half of cities with net zero pledges currently have no form of reporting mechanism." The expert group recommended non-state actors include interim goals ahead of achieving their net zero targets, which are typically set for 2050. The Net Zero Tracker analysis found just 10% of cities and 20% of companies currently include interim targets - though this number has grown slightly since 2021.

☆ Climate justice gets harder as world population passes 8 billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

These are also among the countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, and most in need of climate finance. "A SIGN OF HUMAN SUCCESS"Globally, the 8 billion population milestone represents 1 billion people added to the planet in just the last 11 years. Even while the global population reaches ever-new highs, demographers note that the growth rate has fallen steadily to less than 1% per year. "A big part of this story is that this era of rapid population growth that the world has known for centuries is coming to an end," Wilmoth said. Rapid population growth combined with climate change is likely to cause mass migration and conflict in coming decades, experts said.

The failure by rich nations to deliver in full on a past pledge to deliver $100 billion in annual climate finance to developing countries has rankled in recent years of climate talks. "We cannot afford a further erosion of trust between the developed and developing countries," said Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa. The burning of fossil fuels is the main cause of climate change, but coal, gas and oil were notably absent in the draft deal. The draft COP27 text did not hint at which route the final deal will take on this issue. "We cannot lose 1.5 at this COP," said Alok Sharma, president of last year's U.N. climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland.

☆ Climate disasters put plight of displaced in COP27 focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There are some 22 million people like Hassan displaced every year in climate-fueled disasters, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM). And with climate change fueling increasingly extreme weather worldwide, the number displaced is expected to grow to about 143 million by mid-century. Given the growing need, developing countries at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt this month are demanding that wealthy nations offer more in the way of help. "Each government impacted by climate change migrants can raise the subject" at the U.N. summit, said Caroline Dumas, the IOM's special envoy for migration and climate action. "I'm a refugee, former refugee," said Emtithal Mahmoud, a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.

For more than 70 days this summer, a marine heatwave cooked the waters of the western Mediterranean. "We've been witnessing marine heatwaves during the last 20 years," said Garrabou, who's also coordinator of the T-MEDNet marine monitoring network. A 2016 marine heatwave along Chile's southern coast caused huge algae blooms that wiped out fish farms and cost the aquaculture industry some $800 million, said scientist Kathryn Smith with the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. As the world warms, marine heatwaves are expected to become more frequent, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Though economists have yet to account fully for the impacts of marine heatwaves, recent experience has many concerned.

☆ Alec Baldwin files suit over 'Rust' shooting, seeks to 'clear his name'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Baldwin named all four as cross-defendants in a lawsuit originally filed against him last year by Mamie Mitchell, the film’s script supervisor. Baldwin said he relied on all four to do their jobs, and that Hutchins died as a result of their negligence. As a result, Baldwin says he has experienced “immense grief” and suffered an “emotional, physical and financial toll.”“More than anyone else on that set, Baldwin has been wrongfully viewed as the perpetrator of this tragedy,” wrote Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas. Further, Baldwin accuses Seth Kenney, the supplier, of showing a “cavalier disregard for proper separation between live and dummy ammunition.”All four have previously denied culpability. In a statement Thursday, Gloria Allred, who represents Mitchell, said Baldwin should take responsibility for his actions.

WASHINGTON — Americans were still waiting Friday to learn which party will control the House and Senate next year. Three days after final ballots were cast in the 2022 midterm elections, more than two dozen House races have not yet been called, with a number of them in California and other areas in the western half of the country. Republicans have a better chance of winning a majority in the House, though the Democrats still have a chance to retain control. As of Friday morning, Republicans have won 211 seats, Democrats have won 197 and 27 races remain uncalled. The Senate also hangs in the balance, as results in key races in Arizona and Nevada have not been decided.

☆ Republicans begin maneuvering for power as control of Congress remains unknown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Summer Concepcion | Summer Concepcion Is A Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

While control of the next Congress still remains unknown, Republicans in Washington on Thursday began ramping up plans to take over the House of Representatives. For the Senate, control will come down to three races. House controlIn Washington, House Republicans have already begun maneuvering to determine who from their ranks will become the House speaker should they take control. NBC News has not yet projected a winner for House control. "I am determined to ensure that this majority reaches its full potential," McCarthy said in a letter to House Republicans on Wednesday.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 9, (Reuters) - Civil society groups and youth activists at the U.N. COP27 summit held small pop-up rallies Wednesday at designated areas in this Red Sea resort town. At yet another small gathering, about 20 protesters demanded an end to fossil fuel use, chanting: "What do we want? Climate justice ... when do we want it? Youth activist Lucky Abeng of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance said the group wanted world leaders to take the financing agenda seriously. "Adaptation financing and also climate financing for Africa, it’s nonnegotiable," he said.

☆ Explainer: COP27: How climate change impacts countries around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 9 (Reuters) - While delegates at the COP27 climate conference discuss the shared problem of climate change, each country will face its own challenges and threats. In February, the U.N. climate science agency released a major report on adapting to a warmer world - and detailed how that effort would differ from place to place. While some countries see glaciers melt or coastlines rise, others will contend mostly with raging wildfires and extreme heat, the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said. A World Bank report warned in September that climate impacts, including water scarcity and declining crop yields, could force some 216 million to migrate within their own countries by 2050. And in the Arctic, melting sea ice, warming temperatures, and thawing permafrost will push many species to the brink of extinction.

[1/4] China's chief climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua speaks during a news conference at the COP27 climate summit in Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El GhanySHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 9 (Reuters) - China would be willing to contribute to a mechanism for compensating poorer countries for losses and damage caused by climate change, its climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said on Wednesday at the United Nations COP27 climate summit in Egypt. Xie said China had no obligation to participate, but stressed his solidarity with those calling for more action from wealthy nations on the issue, and outlined the damage China had suffered from climate-linked weather extremes. He added that China already contributed billions of yuan to developing countries to help with their mitigation efforts. "The door is absolutely closed by (the United States)," he said.

"There can be no effective climate policy without the peace," he said, highlighting the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on global energy supplies, food prices and Ukraine's forests. Ukraine is hosting an exhibition space this year for the first time at a U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. He criticised world leaders for paying lip service to climate change without delivering real change. "There are still many for whom climate change is just rhetoric or marketing ... but not real action," he said. A GREENER FUTUREMembers of Ukraine's delegation to COP27 said they hoped their presence drew global attention to the climate and environmental consequences of Russia's February invasion.

☆ UN experts at COP27: Corporate climate pledges rife with greenwashing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and others attend the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt November 7, 2022. At last year's climate negotiations in Glasgow, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed 17 experts to review the integrity of non-state net zero commitments amid concerns about "a surplus of confusion and deficit of credibility" involving corporate green boasting. "Bogus net zero claims drive up the cost that ultimately everyone will pay," she said. An estimated 80% of global emissions are now covered by pledges that commit to reaching net zero emissions. For example, a company cannot claim to be net zero if it continues to build or invest in new fossil fuel infrastructure or deforestation.

☆ COP27: Loss of Arctic summer sea ice 'inevitable' within 30 years — report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The newest report's authors highlighted the "terminal diagnosis" for the ice that forms and floats atop the Arctic Ocean each summer. On Monday evening, Arctic campaigners and indigenous youth from the region planned a media event to mark the demise of sea ice. Mallett said COP27 talks would do little to save the summer sea ice. Last year, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said summer sea ice would be lost even if warming peaked at 1.6 degrees above the preindustrial average. If summer sea ice is lost, no multiyear sea ice — sea ice that persists in the ocean from year to year — will remain.

☆ COP27 summit to begin with plea to discuss climate compensation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 6 (Reuters) - The U.N. climate summit, COP27, opens in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on Sunday amid growing calls for rich countries to compensate poorer nations most vulnerable to climate change. Much of the tension surrounding COP27 is expected to relate to loss and damage -- compensation funds provided by wealthy nations to vulnerable lower-income countries that bear little responsibility for climate-warming emissions. Diplomats from more than 130 countries are expected to push for the creation of a dedicated loss and damage finance facility at COP27. "I'm hopeful that it will get on the agenda," Matthew Samuda, a minister in Jamaica's economic growth ministry, told Reuters. "We know the Europeans are supporting us," said Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development.

☆ COP27 to formally discuss climate compensation for poorer nations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 6 (Reuters) - COP27 delegates agreed on Sunday to discuss whether rich countries should compensate poorer nations most vulnerable to climate change at the United Nations climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Diplomats approved a much-disputed agenda item to talk about matters relating to "funding arrangements responding to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including a focus on addressing loss and damage." The conference runs from Nov. 6 through Nov. 18. Reporting by Gloria Dickie, editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: What the latest IPCC science says about climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Laurie Goering | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produces reports roughly every five years that represent global scientific consensus on climate change, its causes and its impact. Last year's report tackled the main drivers of global warming and the core elements of climate science. Here are some of the key takeaways from those reports:THE SCIENCE REPORT* Last year's report on the physical basis for climate change pulled no punches, stating unequivocally that humans are to blame for rising temperatures. * It also warned that climate change was already dangerously close to spinning out of control. * Millions of people face poverty and food insecurity in coming years, as climate change hits crops and water supplies and threatens to disrupt trade and labor markets.

The pledge was praised widely at last year's COP26 climate summit, particularly as Brazil, Indonesia and Congo all signed on. To fulfill the pledge, the world would need to ensure 10% less area is deforested on average each year from 2021 to 2030. Most countries under the pledge have yet to detail plans for passing stronger forest protections or implementing them. BRAZILThe biggest rainforest country also leads the world in deforestation, as the Amazon falls rapidly to illegal logging, agriculture and land speculation. Deforestation driven by land-clearing for palm oil plantations continued to slow in the first seven months of the year - even as palm oil prices soared.

☆ Factbox: COP27: Major players at the U.N. climate talks in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Rachel Parsons | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Here are some of the main stakeholders and negotiating blocs engaged in the U.N. climate conference (COP27) that starts on Nov. 6 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. A diplomatic row over Taiwan led Beijing to cancel bilateral climate talks with the United States. EUROPEAN UNIONGreenhouse gas emissions from the 27-country European Union comprise about 8% of the global total, and have been trending downward for years. Negotiating as a single group at the U.N. climate talks, the EU intends to push other major emitters to raise their targets. Meanwhile, long-time climate champion King Charles III said he will skip the COP27 conference in Egypt.

Hours later, his firm — Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrickhe — releases its own statement alleging Murdaugh had misappropriated company funds. Jan. 21, 2022A grand jury indicts Murdaugh on 23 new charges, including breach of trust with fraudulent intent and computer crimes. Jan. 24, 2022A legal claim is filed against the estates of Margaret and Paul Murdaugh by the mother of Mallory Beach, 19, who was killed in a boat crash in 2019. May 4, 2022Prosecutors announce that Murdaugh is facing four new charges related to financial crimes also involving Fleming and others. July 14, 2022A grand jury announces an indictment against Murdaugh on double murder charges in the deaths of Margaret and Paul.

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The world is falling far short at rounding up money to help struggling nations adapt to the increasingly dangerous impacts of climate change, according to a report released Thursday. Current international finance flowing to developing countries is between 5 and 10 times below what is needed, the United Nations Environment Programme report said. "It's time for a global climate adaptation overhaul," said United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres in a media statement, noting he had asked green climate funds to work with public and private financiers to pilot a new accelerator for adaptation investment. The accelerator will help financiers work with developing countries to invest in their adaptation priorities and specific projects. At the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow last year, developed countries agreed to double support for adaptation financing to $40 billion per year by 2025.

☆ Europe warms more than any other continent in last 3 decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Gloria Dickie | Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Europe has warmed more than twice as much as the rest of the world over the past three decades and experienced the greatest temperature increase of any continent, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization. The report on the state of the climate in Europe follows a summer of extremes. "Europe presents a live picture of a warming world and reminds us that even well prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events," WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas said in a statement. For example, fewer clouds over Europe during the summer has meant more sunlight and heat now reaches the continent, said Freja Vamborg, senior scientist with the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Some scientists have called Europe a "heatwave hotspot" as the number of heatwaves on the continent have increased faster than in other regions due to changes in atmospheric circulation.

☆ Herschel Walker's 2nd abortion accuser shows her face in TV interview
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Heisman Trophy winner and Republican candidate for US Senate Herschel Walker speaks at a rally on May 23, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. And so I believed then that she was telling the truth," Doe said in the televised interview. Walker, in a statement responding to Doe's new interview, told NBC News, "This was a lie a week ago and it is a lie today." The segment also included a 2019 photo showing the woman and Walker standing together and smiling. "I told my parents I had a miscarriage," the visibly emotional woman said, "because I couldn't tell them the truth.

☆ Factbox: COP26 a year later: Where do last year's climate pledges stand?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Nov 1 (Reuters) - A year ago at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, countries, banks and business leaders announced a slew of climate plans and pledges. METHANE PLEDGETo date, 119 countries and blocs including the United States and the European Union have joined the COP26 pledge to slash methane emissions 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. And China could also give an update on its plan to begin monitoring methane emissions - a promise made under the U.S.-China agreement announced in Glasgow. The group now counts more than 550 members, including most of the world's leading banks, insurers and asset managers, with collective assets of more than $150 trillion. read more And last week, climate activists criticized GFANZ for dropping a requirement that its members sign onto a U.N. emissions reduction campaign.

☆ Greta Thunberg: COP27 an opportunity for "greenwashing, lying and cheating"
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks with British journalist Samira Ahmed (not pictured) on stage at the Royal Festival Hall during the launch event of her new book "The Climate Book", during The Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival, in London, Britain, October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Climate activist Greta Thunberg on Sunday called out next month's United Nations climate summit in Egypt for being "held in a tourist paradise in a country that violates many basic human rights." Speaking at the London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre where she was promoting her new book, "The Climate Book", 19-year-old Thunberg dismissed the looming climate summit, known as COP27, as an opportunity for "people in power... to [use] greenwashing, lying and cheating." While Thunberg did attend protests in Glasgow last year for COP26, she said she won't attend COP27, scheduled to be held from Nov. 6 to Nov. 18 in Sharm El Sheikh. Thunberg rose to prominence in 2018 at the age of 15 by staging school strikes in her native Sweden, becoming the face of the youth activist climate movement.

Search resuls for: "Gloria"

25 mentions found