A new U.N. report says it is still possible to hold global warming to relatively safe levels, but doing so will require global cooperation, billions of dollars and big changes.
Tag Archives: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
In Davos, a Skirmish Over the Role of Oil States at Climate Talks
John Kerry defended the choice of an oil executive to run the next climate talks while Greta Thunberg and others raised an alarm.
U.A.E. Names Oil Executive to Lead Climate Talks at COP28
Sultan Al Jaber, who heads the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, was chosen by the United Arab Emirates to head the upcoming COP28 summit, drawing criticism from green groups.
Congress Offers $1 Billion for Climate Aid, Falling Short of Biden’s Pledge
Activists called the funding to help developing countries cope with the impacts of climate change “hugely disappointing.”
Tiny Vanuatu Uses Its ‘Unimportance’ to Launch Big Climate Ideas
It wants a top international court to weigh in on whether nations are legally bound to protect against climate risks.
U.N. Climate Talks End With a Deal to Pay Poor Nations for Damage
Nations reached a landmark deal to compensate developing nations for climate harm. But some leaders said the summit didn’t go far enough in addressing the root causes of global warming.
U.N. Talks Reach Decisive Moment on Fight Over Climate Justice
Disputes among nations centered on a fund to help developing countries cope with “loss and damage” caused by global warming.
Red Sea Coral Reefs Keep Thriving Despite Global Warming
As warming waters devastate coral around the world, the sea’s stunningly colorful reefs have been remarkably resilient. But pollution, mass tourism and overfishing put them at risk.
Split Between Rich and Poor Nations Deadlocks Climate Talks
Debate intensified over a contentious issue — the creation of a fund to help poor and vulnerable countries pay for “loss and damage” caused by climate change.
Taking on the Climate
International climate summits are imperfect, but they have led to real progress.
Meet the ‘Closer’ Who Finds the Right Words When Climate Talks Hit a Wall
Sue Biniaz is considered one of the most innovative American legal minds when it comes to climate negotiations. She once rescued a collapsing deal by using quotation marks.
The Global Carbon Surveillance State Is Coming
The conventional picture of climate change and what is causing it is about to change.
Expectations Run High as an Exuberant Lula Speaks at Climate Summit
On Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s first trip abroad after winning last month’s election, he pledged to protect the Amazon rainforest and said Brazil was “leaving its cocoon.”
A Clash at Climate Talks: Should Nations Keep the 1.5-Degree Goal?
The mantra has been: Limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or risk climate catastrophe. But at COP27, there are concerns about backsliding.
Biden and Xi Break the Ice
Climate cooperation could get a boost from breakthroughs at a meeting of the world’s 20 biggest economies.
U.S. and China Restart Climate Talks
Discussions about combating climate change between the world’s two largest economies — and two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases — had been frozen since August.
COP27 Protests Call for Climate Justice and Freedom for Fattah
In a country where protests are banned, hundreds rallied at the COP27 climate talks, demanding climate reparations and freedom for a political prisoner.
At COP27, Biden Casts America as Climate Leader, While Activists Push Him to Do More
At climate talks in Egypt, President Biden apologized for his predecessor’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement.
Can the Rhine River Be Saved From Climate Change?
Germany has embarked on an ambitious and expensive effort to preserve the river’s historical role as a vital transportation link. But will it work?
What Is COP27 and What’s at Stake? What to Know About the UN’s Climate Summit.
With the world still struggling to get global warming under control, diplomats are gathering in Egypt for United Nations climate talks. Here are some key facts.
The Coldhearted Carbon Math
Our carbon budget is running out quickly.
Biden Under Pressure From All Corners for Climate Reparations
President Biden arrives in Egypt on Friday for COP27 to celebrate the new U.S. climate law. Other countries want to talk money.
At COP27, Plans to Overhaul the IMF and World Bank Gain Traction
As global warming delivers cascading weather disasters, leaders at U.N. climate talks in Egypt are increasingly calling for changes to a system that traps developing nations in debt.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Debut Overshadowed By Williamson Resignation
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pragmatic diplomacy did not grab attention the way the resignation of a cabinet minister did.
Credibility Questions Dog World Bank President at Climate Summit
David Malpass has faced continuing criticism from those who question his commitment to climate action as well as the bank’s track record.
Jordan Is Running Out of Water, a Grim Glimpse of the Future
The small Middle Eastern nation is already one of the driest countries in the world and rising heat, coupled with a growing population, is making things much worse.
After Months of Silence, Chinese and U.S. Climate Envoys Briefly Speak
John Kerry, the top U.S. climate negotiator, has met at least three times with his Chinese counterpart at COP27. Their countries are the planet’s biggest polluters.
Who’s Driving Climate Change? New Data Catalogs 72,000 Polluters and Counting
A nonprofit backed by Al Gore and other big environmental donors says it can track emissions down to individual power plants, oil fields and cargo ships.
After Decades of Resistance, Rich Countries Offer Direct Climate Aid
Several European leaders at COP27 announced funds to help poor nations recover from loss and damage caused by climate change. The United States was silent.
Hello from COP27
Frustration and distrust among leaders are high. But, for the first time, countries have agreed to discuss funding for climate reparations.
Can South Africa Transition to Clean Energy?
A township’s battle over a new mine shows the challenge of a nation dependent on coal, but also desperate to leave it behind.
At COP27, World Leaders Urge Faster Action on Climate Change
On the first day of COP27, the U.N. climate talks, world leaders urged each other to move faster to cut the pollution that is warming the planet while recognizing the war in Ukraine’s global energy effects and the unequal effects of climate change to date.
Switzerland Is Paying Poorer Nations to Cut Emissions on Its Behalf
The agreements raise concerns that other countries will follow suit, delaying more difficult cuts of greenhouse gas emissions in wealthier nations.
The World’s Most-Visited Glaciers Could Soon Be Gone
The U.N.’s cultural agency warns that ice sheets on Kilimanjaro, in the Dolomites and in Yosemite and Yellowstone may disappear by 2050, highlighting travel’s impact on climate change.
Countries Made Bold Climate Promises Last Year. How Are They Doing?
At last year’s U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, world leaders pledged to halt deforestation, phase out fossil fuel subsidies and offer up more climate aid. Following through has been tough.
At COP27, Developing Nations Have a Message for Polluters: Pay Up
Poor countries facing climate hazards want the United States and other industrialized nations to compensate them for the harm caused by greenhouse gases.
Hosting Climate Summit Is Both Opportunity and Risk for Egypt
The COP27 meeting next week allows a debt-wracked African country to champion climate needs of poorer nations. But it also puts Egypt under scrutiny.
What do big polluters owe?
The nations least responsible for climate change are being hit the hardest. They’ll be demanding compensation at the climate summit starting Sunday in Egypt.
As Other Global Crises Collide, Nations Converge to Address Climate Change
The United States will try to reassert global leadership at global talks in Egypt.
War in Ukraine Likely to Speed, Not Slow, Shift to Clean Energy, I.E.A. Says
While some nations are burning more coal this year in response to natural-gas shortages spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that effect is expected to be short-lived.
Climate Pledges Are Falling Short, and a Chaotic Future Looks More Like Reality
With an annual summit next month, the United Nations assessed progress on countries’ past emissions commitments. Severe disruption would be hard to avoid on the current trajectory.
Senate Ratifies Kigali Amendment, the Global Pact to Curb Hydrofluorocarbons
In a bipartisan vote, lawmakers voted to join an international agreement to phase out the hydrofluorocarbons commonly found in refrigerators and air-conditioners.
With Climate Agenda Stalled at Home, Biden Still Hopes to Lead Abroad
The United States has demonstrated international leadership on climate change in the past, but recent setbacks are presenting new challenges for President Biden.
We’ve Traded Climate Denial for Climate Hypocrisy
Today the rhetorical war has largely been won, but the outlook grows a lot more confusing when everyone agrees to agree.
What Vaccine Apartheid Portends for the Climate Future
Gestures of good will and concern from developed countries can hide nationalism so pointed that it amounts to something like sadism.
Farhana Yamin’s Journey From Climate Summits to Street Protests
After a high-profile career as an international lawyer and negotiator, Farhana Yamin decided “we cannot rely on lawyers and diplomats alone.”
U.N. Chief Warns of ‘Catastrophe’ With Continued Use of Fossil Fuels
António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, said instead of replacing Russian oil, gas and coal, nations must pivot to clean energy.
John Kerry, U.S. Climate Envoy, Tells Top Polluters ‘We Must All Move Faster’
The United States hosted a virtual meeting of big polluting countries on Thursday as nations struggle to meet their climate change goals.
Jonathan Pershing to Leave Job as Climate Diplomat
Jonathan Pershing, a veteran diplomat, worked to reassert the U.S. role in global negotiations. He said he was optimistic that the world will avert climate catastrophe.
Harnessing an Unusual Kind of Natural Energy: Dancers’ Body Heat
The power of dance? It’s literal at a Glasgow arts center that is installing a geothermal heating and cooling system that runs on heat from dancing bodies.