U.N. Security Council plans vote to call General Assembly meeting on Ukraine
The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on Sunday to call for a rare emergency special session of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which would be held on Monday, diplomats said. The vote by the 15-member council is procedural so none of the five permanent council members - Russia, China, France, Britain and the United States - can wield their vetoes. The move needs nine votes in favor and is likely to pass, diplomats said. Only 10 such emergency special sessions of the General Assembly have been convened since 1950. The request for a session on Ukraine comes after Russia vetoed on Friday a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would have deplored Moscow's invasion. China, India and UAE abstained, while the remaining 11 members voted in favor. The General Assembly is expected to vote on a similar resolution following several days of statements by countries in the emergency special session, diplomats said. General Assembly resolutions are non-binding but carry political weight. The United States and allies are seeking as much support as possible to show Russia is internationally isolated. The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in March 2014 following Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. The resolution, which declared invalid a referendum on the status of Crimea, received 100 yes votes and 11 against. Two dozen countries didn't vote and 58 abstained. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday, telling him the world body plans to "enhance humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine," a U.N. spokesperson said.
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.