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COP29 is a wrap. After two weeks of wrangling, rich countries have agreed to triple climate finance to the Global South by 2035.
But is anyone really happy with how things have panned out?
Get the answers in this news round-up as we move on to the UNCCD COP16 and pick up the pieces from this week’s failed plastic summit.
Last month, we traveled to Baku, Azerbaijan, to cover COP29 as it unfolded. Here’s what we saw on the ground – and our view on where the disappointing deal leaves us now.
One thing’s for sure: it won’t be enough to achieve a just transition in the Global South.
Many rich countries have also pledged to go carbon neutral in the decades ahead, but what does that really mean?
Now, our colleagues are off to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the UNCCD COP16 – the last of this year’s three Rio Convention COPs, this one focusing on desertification. Follow their live coverage here.
But what is desertification, and why should we care about it? Find out in our latest explainer.
Not only will 2024 be the hottest year ever – it’ll also be the year that global warming reaches 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time.
And things are set to get a whole lot worse, because we’re currently on track to hit 2.7 degrees of warming by the end of the century.
Unsurprisingly really, given that emissions from fossil fuels will once again break new records this year.
Fortunately, our overall greenhouse gas emissions may finally be about to peak – but will it be too late?
The International Court of Justice is now hearing evidence on what countries are legally obliged to do to tackle the climate crisis. Stay tuned for an opinion next year.
It’s that time of year when Delhi gets shrouded in the world’s most toxic air. What can India’s biggest city do about it?
Two disturbing things we learned about forever chemicals: they can be particularly lethal when mixed with microplastics, and people from low-income backgrounds are the most exposed to them.
Climate refugees are real – and they’re increasingly fleeing from Mexico to the U.S. as drought devastates their livelihoods.
Thinking of getting a Christmas tree for your home? Here’s why you should consider buying a real one.
Tea plantations have long dominated the landscapes of southern India. These Indigenous communities are bringing back the region’s native forests.
Back in 2020, hundreds of elephants were mysteriously found dead in Botswana. Now, we finally know what killed them: climate-induced poisoning.
What would nature do if humans vanished? These abandoned Bulgarian villages offer some clues.
Is this a revolution in carbon capture? Chemists have developed a yellow powder that can suck huge amounts of carbon out of the air.
Solar energy is booming in Pakistan – so much so that it’s disrupting the country’s electrical grid. Meanwhile, Norway has postponed plans to start deep-sea mining in the Arctic Ocean.
Oil and gas companies are developing new reserves across 129 countries. Who’s funding this huge expansion?
Think COP29 went poorly? Countries have failed to reach a landmark agreement to tackle plastic pollution, with – you guessed it – Saudi Arabia among the parties undermining the talks.
The world will need to invest USD 2.6 trillion to halt land degradation by 2030, the UNCCD has revealed at the opening of its COP16 desertification talks.
Indonesia will phase out all fossil fuel-fired power plants by 2040, it pledged at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
As the U.S. gears up for a second Trump presidency, all eyes are turning to China. Will the world’s largest emitter step up – and could its emissions peak as early as 2025?
Finally…
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