Climate

    Farmers overcome growing pains in bid to defeat climate change
    19 Nov 2024

    A project in Rwanda has shown how farmers can produce more from crops simply by using modern and higher quality varieties of seeds. In one case, farmers were able to grow up to 10 times as many carrots on the same plot of land by swapping old seeds for new, more suitable versions. With more extreme […]

    Azerbaijan leader’s fossil fuel praise an ‘abuse’ of COP29, Belgium says
    19 Nov 2024

    BAKU, Azerbaijan — Ilham Aliyev’s fossil fuel glorification is “inappropriate” for the leader of a country hosting an international climate conference, Belgium’s energy minister told POLITICO. The Azerbaijani president used his opening speech at the COP29 climate summit in Baku this week to praise the country’s oil and gas resources as a “gift of the God.” “I really […]

    Geopolitical tensions simmer as Cop29 heads into second week
    17 Nov 2024

    Geopolitical tensions have rippled through Cop29, prompting climate campaigners to remind national leaders why they are in Baku. Negotiations will resume on Monday – Sunday is a rest day – after the usually staid world of climate negotiations was rattled by a French minister cancelling her trip to the summit and Argentina withdrawing its delegation. The […]

    Cop29 and the $1 trillion tussle: will countries contribute to the climate fund?
    17 Nov 2024

    Talks about a $1 trillion a year fund to fight climate change are fractured over the issue of who will pay, as rising economies such as China, Brazil and India resist pressure to split the bill, The National has been told. One negotiator described a “series of deadlocks” at the Cop29 summit in Azerbaijan, with poorer countries at odds over whether to accept proposals from the […]

    Vulnerable island states ‘angry and suffering’, but will not give up at Cop29
    16 Nov 2024

    Island states are angry and suffering over climate change, Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States, said on Friday as he ruled out the prospect of any “backslide” at Cop29. It came as the summit, held in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, was processing a call that future UN climate talked needed an overhaul. “We are angry,” […]

    Cop29 lead negotiator calls for faster progress amid call to restructure climate summit
    16 Nov 2024

    Cop29 negotiations are moving too slowly, Azerbaijan’s lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev said on Friday, as the UN climate summit nears its halfway mark. “We cannot afford to leave too much ground to be covered later in the summit at the political level. We are urging everyone to intensify their engagements and remain focused on the imperative […]

    Women’s voices are crucial to the climate debate, say experts at Cop 29
    15 Nov 2024

    Women’s voices need to be heard at the climate negotiating table, experts have told The National, as the role of women and small and medium enterprises was highlighted at Cop29. As heads of state gathered in Baku for the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, only a handful of the 78 attendees were women, prompting the question: “Where are […]

    ‘We can’t fail them’: Climate fund boss calls for billions to protect poor nations at Cop29
    15 Nov 2024

    The Fund for responding to Loss and Damage is open for business with new executive director Ibrahima Cheikh Diong hitting the ground running at Cop29 – meeting leaders, philanthropists and action groups. The $700 million fund is tasked with supporting developing countries at risk from the effects of climate change, including extreme weather and slow onset events. “It is very […]

    Brazil sets pace in climate sprint – but wants the West to pay
    14 Nov 2024

    Brazil announced plans on Wednesday to cut its carbon footprint “far beyond what could be expected” to set the pace at UN climate talks, but told The National it will not join rich countries in financing the world’s green efforts. The home of the Amazon rainforest hopes to to slash emissions by two-thirds compared to 2005 levels within a decade, […]

    Climate early-warning systems are not a luxury, says UN chief Antonio Guterres
    14 Nov 2024

    A deadly storm approaches a low-lying coast – exposing vulnerable communities in its path to devastation. But a simple text message pinged on to their phones helps them escape to higher ground. It sounds simple, but early warning systems save lives, yet half the countries in the world are still not covered. The issue took centre stage […]