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    As countries meet to agree a landmark plastics treaty, is recycling or producing less the answer?
    01 Dec 2024

    Even if 50 per cent more plastic was recycled there would still be a pollution problem, a French minister said this week. In Busan, South Korea countries are trying to negotiate a landmark treaty to reduce plastic pollution. It is now entering the final stretch of talks before the treaty becomes legally binding – two […]

    Economic cost of desertification laid bare as Cop16 talks to begin in Riyadh
    30 Nov 2024

    Talks to tackle desertification will kick off in Riyadh on Monday, the first time the UN’s Convention to Combat Desertification Cop, or Cop16, will be held in the Middle East. Desertification linked to climate change is on the rise and land degradation affects nearly 40 per cent of the planet and the lives of more than 3.2 billion […]

    Disappearing ingredients: How crowdsourced collections help to save the foods at risk of extinction
    29 Nov 2024

    Bringing back ancient grains can help family farmers in the face of climate change. In a climate-vulnerable world, growing food is not as easy as it once was. Rising temperatures disrupt farming schedules, drought leaves the ground parched, or flooding wipes away crops completely. The race is on to find ways of making farming sustainable, […]

    COP29 ends with $300bn a year deal but is it enough? 5 key takeaways from Baku
    28 Nov 2024

    From the final deal to what happens next, here’s what you might have missed at COP29. In the early hours of Sunday morning it was finally agreed that rich countries will pay developing countries $300 billion a year by 2035 to help them cope with the effects of the climate crisis. Earlier in the climate […]

    Global Plastic Treaty: Talks begin to finalise deal for curbing plastic pollution
    27 Nov 2024

    Global plastic production has increased over 200-fold to hit almost 460 million tonnes annually since 1950. The Global Plastics Treaty talks have kicked off with nations gathering in Busan, South Korea, for a week of discussions. The aim is to produce a legally binding treaty that will address the world’s plastic pollution problem by tackling […]

    ‘Our last chance’: Pressure on Cop30 to deliver after divisive Cop29
    26 Nov 2024

    All eyes are on Brazil, the host of Cop30, after developing nations deemed the finance plan agreed at Cop29 to pay for the ravages of climate change to be too little, too late. The climate summit, which will bring together tens of thousands of delegates, will be held from November 10 to 21 next year in the northern city of […]

    Innovation is at the heart of tackling climate change, but it costs money
    25 Nov 2024

    One year ago, the UAE’s Cop28 presidency placed food systems at the centre of global climate action. The UAE and a broad coalition of global partners mobilised the political support of 160 heads of state and government to adapt and transform their food systems to respond to the imperative of climate change. With climate finance now the […]

    COP29: Summit ends with $300bn a year climate finance deal for developing nations
    24 Nov 2024

    After concerns climate talks in Baku could collapse, the gavel came down on a finance deal in the early hours of the morning. The Western world has agreed to pay $300bn a year to finance emissions reduction and climate adaptation in the developing world from 2035, but developing countries from Cuba to India slammed the […]

    Azerbaijan puts $1.3 trillion climate deal on table at Cop29
    23 Nov 2024

    UN climate talks went into extra time on Saturday after key players rejected a $1.3 trillion deal put on the table by Azerbaijan, as negotiators made a last-ditch bid to bridge “chasms” between rich and poor countries at the Cop29 summit. The proposal would set a $250 billion per year floor for funding for the fight against climate […]

    UAE and Bill Gates unveil AI-powered agriculture solutions

    Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Mariam Almheiri, head of International Affairs at the UAE Presidential Court, explored the future of agricultural technology at an event showcasing artificial intelligence-powered solutions for the industry. The event, held on Wednesday at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, aimed to build on […]