Habari Kushughulikia Mazingira

Kuangazia ushughulikiaji wa mabadiliko ya tabianchi

Dharura ya tabianchi ni matokeo ya moja kwa moja ya matumizi ya kaboni nzito ardhini na kwa kilimo, uchukuzi, michakato ya ujenzi na michakato ya viwanda na vyanzo chafuzi vya nishati. Bila mabadiliko makubwa kwa sekta hizi na bila kupunguza athari za hewa ya ukaa, kuna matumaini kidogo ya kulinda sayari dhidi ya athari mbaya za joto ulimwenguni. 

Upeperushaji huu wa moja kwa moja utakufanya upate habari za hivi punde kutoka kwa Kongamano la Umoja wa Mataifa la Mabadiliko ya Tabianchi, linalojulikana kama Kongamano la Nchi Wanachama (COP29) Mfumo wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa Mabadiliko ya Tabianchi (UNFCCC) utakaofanyika nchini Baku, Azerbaijan.  

12 Jan 2024 20:31

WMO confirms 2023 as warmest year on record ‘by a huge margin’

Sillhouettes of people riding bicycles.
Photo: ADB/Rakesh Sahai

With the annual average global temperature fast approaching the critical threshold of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, 2023 officially smashed the global temperature record, the UN weather agency, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), confirmed on 12 January 2024.

“Humanity’s actions are scorching the Earth. 2023 was a mere preview of the catastrophic future that awaits if we don’t act now. We must respond to record-breaking temperature rises with path-breaking action,” UN chief António Guterres said in response to the latest data.

01 Jan 2024 07:01

Looking for a New Year’s resolution in 2024?

 

20 Dec 2023 10:02

Apply for the Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program!

Event poster

Applications are now open for the 2024 cohort of the Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program!

The Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program is a six-month online program designed for young individuals aged 18-35 who are passionate about climate action. It aims to foster youth climate leadership through peer-to-peer collaboration, and learning opportunities with World Bank experts, the Global Youth Climate Network (GYCN), and Connect4Climate Partners.

By participating in this program, young people can make a tangible impact on climate action both locally and globally.

Apply by 31 December 2023!

13 Dec 2023 18:37

COP28 ends with landmark agreement

COP28 closes with a deal
Photo: AFP

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) closed today with an agreement that has been hailed as the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era.

On the final day of COP28, nearly 200 countries pledged to move away from planet-warming fossil fuels and dramatically scale up investments in renewable energy.

"COP28 has delivered, for the first time at climate talks, a clear call on countries to transition away from fossil fuels," said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. "The deal is not perfect, but one thing is clear: the world is no longer denying our harmful addiction to fossil fuels."

The agreement, which comes amid what is likely to be the hottest year on record for the planet, is designed to keep global temperature rise to  less than 1.5°C, the most-ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement.

“Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. “Now all governments and businesses need to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes, without delay.”

12 Dec 2023 19:28

Long night ahead for negotiators as world waits for latest text

Entrance to Expo City, the COP28 venue
COP28/Christopher Pike

There's no news of any updated text being released today and it looks like it will be another long night of negotiations in Dubai. 

The hope is that the new text will be considerably more ambitious than the first version released on Monday, but that remains to be seen.

We will be publishing an overview of the highs and lows of COP28 on UNEP's homepage later this week. Thanks for following all the updates on the blog, and remember to follow UNEP on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn

12 Dec 2023 16:49

Progress being made in COP28 negotiations but questions remain

John Kerry at COP28
COP28/Christopher Pike

Negotiators continue to discuss the draft text published yesterday with many delegates and observers hoping the revised text will show far greater ambition. 

Yesterday's text got a very mixed response with the EU calling it "unacceptable," Samoa calling it "insufficient" and Bangladesh calling it "weak and contradictory." 

Carbon Brief's very handy tracker allows you to see where progress has been made in the ongoing negotiations and where it has not.

It is hoped a revised draft will be finalised today but it will not be surprising if talks drag on into tomorrow and beyond. 

12 Dec 2023 12:01

COP28 negotiations ongoing after "underwhelming" draft text

Delegates at COP28
UN Climate Change/Kiara Worth

COP28 officially ended at 11am local time this morning, but its unclear when any agreement will be reached on the final text. The text released yesterday by the COP28 Presidency was met with an underwhelming response, mainly due to the lack of mention of gas or oil or the need for them to be "phased out". 

Nations – ranging from Pacific Island States to Canada and the UK – have said the text is not nearly good enough and won't enable the Paris Agreement goals to be reached. There are also concerns over the vagueness of the language around issues such as climate finance and the loss and damage fund. 

The COP Presidency is now working on another draft of the text, which should be released at some point today. 

11 Dec 2023 17:11

Early reports suggest compromise reached on COP28 draft text

COP28 visitors
COP28/Mark Field

Fossil fuel production and consumption will be reduced by 2050 in accordance with scientific advice as part of the COP28 global stocktake text, according to reports from Dubai. 

While the text does not include the terms "phase out" or "phase down" it does focus on fossil fuels directly, rather than the emissions from fossil fuels. Yet early criticisms have focused on the fact the text contains no references to oil or gas, but simply "recognises the need" to phase down unabated coal and scale up renewable energy.

Climate scientists, activists, and the governments of more than 100 countries will be hoping that ambition will be raised in the next 24 hours if COP28 is not to be seen as a failure.

Governments will now go through the text, so expect lots of wrangling in Dubai this evening as negotiations reach crunch point. 

As we wait for more updates, take a look at this timeline of past COPs, which track the long and winding road to where we are today. 

11 Dec 2023 13:07

37 countries join effort to protect rivers and wetlands

Aerial view of river

Thirty-seven countries yesterday joined the Freshwater Challenge – the world’s largest initiative to restore degraded rivers, lakes and wetlands and to protect vital freshwater ecosystems. Forty-three countries have now joined the initiative – ranging from Finland and France to Tajikistan and Tanzania.

The Freshwater Challenge aims to ensure 300,000km of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of degraded wetlands, are committed to restoration by 2030.

More than 35 per cent of wetlands of have been lost around the world since 1970, a disappearance rate three times faster than forests, with land use change to agriculture, the biggest driver of this.

The Freshwater Challenge aims to build on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which included the protection of 30 per cent of the world’s ‘inland waters’ and the restoration of 30 per cent of degraded ‘inland waters’.

11 Dec 2023 12:35

UN Secretary General: there can be no compromise on the science

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres
UN Climate Change/Kiara Worth

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said that countries needed to compromise in order to find solutions at COP28, without compromising on the science or the need for the highest ambition.

Speaking after flying back to Dubai for the final days of COP28, he added: " In our fractured and divided world, Cop28 can show that multilateralism remains our best hope to tackle global challenges."

“It is essential that the Global Stocktake recognises the need to phase out all fossil fuels on a timeframe consistent with the 1.5 degree limit – and to accelerate a just, equitable and orderly energy transition for all,” he said.

“A transition that takes into account the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and reflective capabilities, in light of national circumstances – not to reduce ambition but to combine ambition and equity.”

Negotiations at COP28 are heading into their final days with delegates, the media and the world waiting on the latest version of draft text, which will reveal where progress has been made in the past 24 hours and where stumbling blocks remain.