Climate change is causing nature mismatches, says UN report
The pace of climate change is accelerating too fast for many plant and animal species to adapt, and leading to profound impacts on species’ ability to survive and food production, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Plants and animals in terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems use temperature, day length or rainfall as cues for major phases of their lives, such as flowering, bearing fruit, breeding and migrating. But as the climate warms, not all species are shifting in the same direction or at the same rate, and such key phases of interdependent species are falling out of sync, UNEP warns in Frontiers 2022: Noise, Blazes and Mismatches. The report also draws attention to the increasing threats to human health and the environment from noise pollution and wildfires. Published a few months ahead of the second session of the COP15 biodiversity talks in Kunming, China, its stark findings present another urgent reminder of the action needed on decarbonisation and conservation investment, as well as the need for improved integration of biodiversity and climate agendas. The study of the cues and timing of species’ key phases and how they interact within a life cycle is known as phenology. Many species need to interact for their survival, though, as UNEP’s Frontiers report highlights, many of these well-established interactions are being thrown off by a rapidly changing climate.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.