Wisdom, a 74-year-old Laysan albatross, is the oldest-known wild bird on the planet. First fitted with a band in 1956, the Hawaiian seabird has laid her first egg in four years, according to United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) officials.
Wisdom returned to the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge to lay what could be her 60th egg, USFWS said, as reported by The Guardian.
“We are optimistic that the egg will hatch,” Jonathan Plissner, Midway Atoll’s supervisory wildlife biologist, said in a statement, as The Associated Press reported.
Wisdom, at left with red leg tag, stays close to her recently laid egg as her new mate settles down to incubate from their ground nest on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 27, 2024. Dan Rapp / USFWS volunteer
Millions of seabirds come back to Midway Atoll each year to nest and rear their chicks.
Wisdom and lifelong mate Akeakamai had been returning to the Hawaiian atoll to lay and hatch their eggs since 2006. However, it has been several years since Akeakamai has been seen, and Wisdom started interacting with another male upon her return last week, officials said.
Laysan albatrosses lay one egg each year, and, according to Plissner, Wisdom has raised up to 30 chicks.
October and November represent mating season at the refuge. Albatross parents share the incubation of an egg for roughly seven months. They then fly thousands of miles over the ocean in search of food to bring back to their young.
Wisdom stands at right with red leg band, facing her new partner at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 26, 2024. Dan Rapp / USFWS volunteer
About five or six months after they hatch, chicks fly out to sea, where they will spend most of their lives soaring above the ocean feeding on fish and their eggs, crustaceans and squid.
Adult Laysan albatrosses fly as much as 50,000 miles each year, so USFWS said Wisdom would by now have flown multiple trips to the moon and back, reported CNN.
“It’s really amazing to encounter the world’s oldest known wild bird and see her add to the record year after year, but it fascinates because of its apparent uniqueness and not for any scientific or conservation or management implications. It’s interesting that the next oldest bird here that we know about is currently just 45+ years old. Almost thirty years apart in age is a big gap, especially with the tremendous number of albatross that were banded here in the 1960s,” Plissner said, according to USFWS.
Laysan albatrosses typically live to be 68 years old, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration has said.
As many as three million Laysan albatrosses travel to the Midway Atoll wildlife refuge to breed, Plissner told BBC Radio 4’s Today program. The atoll is not part of the state of Hawaii, but is an unincorporated U.S. territory. The largest albatross colony on Earth lives at the refuge.
“It’s really been remarkable,” Plissner said, as BBC News reported. “Wisdom seems to pique the interest of people across the world. We wait each year with bated breath for her return.”
“We have to speak truth to power as we continue to fight the existential threat that is climate change. The climate crisis continues to burden our community and cost residents their hard-earned tax dollars,” said Mayor of Carrboro Barbara Foushee in a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity. “Duke Energy’s knowledge of the environmental injustice being caused by the use of fossil fuels has unfairly plagued our community for decades. Historically underserved and marginalized communities are facing disproportionate impacts and health risks that are associated with climate change. This was not an easy decision to make but I believe that we must be courageous as we call out these injustices and seek change and accountability.”
Carrboro says Duke Energy’s “decades-long role” in a countrywide plan of deception harmed the community of approximately 21,000 while costing the town millions.
The legal action claims that top executives at Duke Energy knew for over 50 years that fossil fuels posed risks, but were “ringleaders” of a far-reaching campaign to mislead the public concerning its climate harms, while also boosting reliance on gas and coal as sources of electricity.
“The Carrboro community has worked for over five decades to protect, conserve and preserve the environment, the ecosystems and the wellbeing of its citizens,” said Carrboro Town Council member Randee Haven-O’Donnell in the press release. “Carrboro is a strong, vibrant community, and Duke Energy needs to be held accountable for the deception and damages it’s caused and continues to cause. Duke Energy’s deceptive public campaign erases the progress we strive for to address climate change. We’re the little engine that could, and we hope other towns can be, too, and hold their polluting utilities accountable. In Carrboro, we’re standing up to be the change we want to see in the world.”
Duke Energy is the United States’ third largest-polluting corporation. The company has spent millions on PR firms and industry front groups with the purpose of deceiving the public regarding climate change science, according to the lawsuit. The complaint said Duke Energy has blocked action to combat climate change, which has resulted in significant harm to the town of Carrboro and its residents.
Climate change driven by fossil fuel emissions has led to more severe and frequent storms and flooding in Carrboro and other parts of the U.S., along with record-high temperatures. The climate crisis also brought deadly and destructive Hurricane Helene to the state of North Carolina.
A Duke Energy lineman in the Biltmore Village in Asheville, NC after Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28, 2024. Sean Rayford / Getty Images
Carrboro has had to saddle millions for road repairs, rising energy costs and the cost of other infrastructure to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The lawsuit puts the responsibility for these damages on Duke Energy since the utility giant knew misleading the public and obstructing climate change legislation would worsen climate impacts on the town and accelerate the climate crisis.
“This lawsuit exposes Duke Energy executives as using the tobacco scandal playbook. They’re making the global climate crisis worse despite widespread and accelerating misery,” said Jim Warren, nonprofit NC WARN’s executive director, in the press release. “And they’re still expanding fossil fuels and suppressing renewables – in flat defiance of scientists demanding that we do the exact opposite. We need the judicial system to hold Duke Energy leadership accountable and finally break their corporate control over our political system and public decisions.”
Not only has the energy company denied the harms caused by climate change, it claims to be a leader in clean energy. Meanwhile, it continues to build methane-burning power plans while suppressing solar and other renewable sources of energy. It also falsely advertises and promotes methane gas as a solution.
“We’ll soon have a climate denier-in-chief in the White House, but Carrboro is a shining light in this darkness, taking on one of the country’s largest polluters and climate deceivers,” said Jean Su, director of energy justice at the Center for Biological Diversity, an advisor on the case, in the press release. “Climate action doesn’t stop at a national level, and Carrboro is holding Duke Energy and all fossil utilities’ feet to the fire. This town is paving a way for local governments to drive climate justice despite who’s in Washington.”
Duke Energy is one of the largest providers of electricity, as well as among the biggest corporate polluters, on the planet. It brings power to 8.2 million customers in six states, including almost all of North Carolina and parts of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina.
Dozens of city and Tribal governments and 11 attorneys general across the U.S. have filed suits against oil and gas majors for deceiving the public about the role of fossil fuels in climate change. Multnomah County, Oregon, in October added NW Natural – the region’s gas provider — to its lawsuit against fossil fuel companies for the role they played in the area’s deadly heat dome in 2021.
“This lawsuit represents an incredible opportunity to put an end to corporate deception and enter a new era for Carrboro,” said Mayor Pro Tem Danny Nowell in the press release. “It’s time for us to hold Duke Energy accountable for decades of deception, padding executives’ pockets while towns like ours worked to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change. This suit will allow the Town of Carrboro to invest new resources into building a stronger, more climate-resilient community, using the damages justly due to our residents to reimagine the ways we prepare for our climate reality.”
The United Kingdom set a new record for electric vehicle (EV) sales in November, with more than 25 percent of total car registrations being for EVs, according to the most recent statistics from New AutoMotive.
The latest figures mean EV sales in the country have held more than 20 percent of the market share for the fourth month in a row — also a record-breaking number, reported Transport and Energy.
“November’s record EV registration figures – up over 50% compared to Nov 2023 – show that consumers are busting the myth that EV sales are falling. The ZEV Mandate is working and increasing numbers of buyers are recognising the hi-tech value and lower running costs of electric cars,” said Quentin Willson, advisory board member of EVUK and founder of FairCharge, as Transport and Energy reported.
Sales of gas-powered cars in Britain have fallen to a record low as manufacturers conserve supplies in order to meet strict EV targets, reported The Telegraph.
Minis, one of the most popular EVs in the UK, on the production line in Cowley, England in 2023. Joe Giddens / PA Images via Getty Images
Only 29 percent of new car sales last month were fossil fuel vehicles, a New Automotive analysis of registrations said — down from 42 percent the previous year.
According to Auto Trader, gas-powered cars will “peak” in 2024 before going into permanent decline. The number of fossil fuel vehicles is predicted to fall from 18.7 to 11.1 million in the coming decade, Auto Trader said.
“Peak petrol is a genuine landmark for the UK. We expect to see a seismic shift in British motoring over the next decade as the number of petrol cars falls by nearly half and EVs take a much bigger share,” said Ian Plummer, commercial director for Auto Trader, as Transport and Energy reported.
Meanwhile, EV numbers are expected to rise from 1.25 to 13.7 million, The Telegraph said.
The big market shift is being pushed by government “ZEV mandates” — legally enforced EV sales targets — that compel manufacturers and drivers to transition to EVs.
The rules stipulate that 22 percent of auto sales must be electric in 2024, rising to 28 percent in 2025, with an annual increase reaching 80 percent by the end of the decade.
Manufacturers that go over the sales limit for gas-powered cars could be fined as much as 15,000 pounds per vehicle, though there are “flexibilities” built into the mandate, like carbon credit trading.
Some manufacturers — including Ford, Nissan and Stellantis — say the rules are too stringent, with consumer demand not as strong as expected and EV prices continuing to deter a number of drivers.
Manufacturers are encouraging ministers to either relax the requirements or use consumer incentives to increase EV demand.
“New AutoMotive’s analysis of public data reflects the fact that the car industry has stepped up and introduced more affordable models, which is clearly having a positive impact on the uptake of electric vehicles. However, registrations to fleets and businesses – both heavily incentivised – are still driving this switch in the main, which is perfectly reasonable for a new technology,” said Ginny Buckley, founder of Electrifying.com, as reported by Transport and Energy. “However, to enable more private buyers to embark on their electric journey, the Government needs to introduce incentives for both new and used electric cars. Buoyant sales of second hand EVs will be key to us hitting our net-zero targets more efficiently.”
In anticipation of booming EV sales, charging companies have put billions toward infrastructure and want to see the government hold its ground, The Telegraph reported.
“It’s imperative that we keep this momentum going and this is why the ZEV mandate’s sales quotas are so important,” said Vicky Read, ChargeUK’s chief executive, as reported by The Telegraph. “They give charging investors the confidence to keep deploying ahead of demand.”
The oral arguments were part of the historic climate hearing in The Hague, where climate-vulnerable countries like Vanuatu and other small island nations are calling for rich polluters that are most responsible for global heating to be held accountable.
“The International Court of Justice’s proceedings are a profound moment in global climate accountability. The hearings elevate science to the forefront, ensuring international law reflects the realities of climate impacts and the urgent need for global action,” said Dr. Delta Merner, lead scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ (UCS) Science Hub for Climate Litigation, in a press release from UCS. “Yet in today’s oral arguments, the United States — the world’s largest historical polluter of heat trapping emissions — resisted calls for climate accountability. Instead of taking responsibility for its contributions to the climate crisis, the United States used its 30-minute slot to downplay the role of the courts for global climate action, emphasize non-binding national commitments under the Paris Agreement, and reject the notion of historical responsibility.”
“By framing climate change as a collective action challenge without clear legal obligations for individual states, the United States dismissed the potential for redress or binding accountability measures that advance justice for climate-vulnerable nations,” Merner added.
In its arguments, the U.S. emphasized sticking with the 2015 and Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as other treaties, reported The Guardian.
“Any other legal obligations relating to climate change mitigation identified by the court should be interpreted consistently with the obligations states have under this treaty regime,” Margaret Taylor, legal adviser for the U.S. Department of State, told the ICJ judges, as The Guardian reported.
The response from climate activists illustrated the need for wealthy nations to be held accountable for their disproportionate contributions to the climate crisis, as well as their outsized evasion of responsibility.
“Once again, we witness a disheartening attempt by the U.S. to evade its responsibilities as one of the world’s largest polluters,” said Vishal Prasad, campaign director for the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, as reported by The Guardian. “The U.S. is content with its business-as-usual approach and has taken every possible measure to shirk its historical responsibility, disregard human rights and reject climate justice.”
Other of the world’s largest fossil fuel economies and biggest greenhouse gas emitters — China, Australia and Saudi Arabia — also argued against being held legally accountable for the pollution they produce.
“It is absurd for the Biden administration to argue before the ICJ that countries do not have clear legal obligations to reduce carbon pollution, especially as it prepares to turn over the executive office to a proven climate denier like president-elect Trump, whose policies are likely to deeply harm U.S. climate action,” said Ashfaq Khalfan, climate justice director at Oxfam.
Vulnerable nations fought for years for rich polluters to be held accountable, and the UN responded by asking the ICJ to give an advisory opinion on the obligations of states in combating climate change, along with what the legal consequences would be if they do not do their part.
“The ICJ’s advisory opinion has the potential to reshape international climate governance by providing clear, authoritative guidance on nation’s obligations under existing law. This process showcases how the best available science can illuminate pathways to protect human rights, advance equity, and compel ambitious climate action,” Merner said in the press release. “In the face of stonewalling from major polluters, we applaud the leadership of Vanuatu and others for advancing this process. These proceedings must continue to center the voices of frontline communities.”
More than 100 countries and organizations are providing testimony over the 12-day hearings.
Advisory opinions by the ICJ are not binding, but nonetheless carry significant weight both legally and politically. The opinion of the court will be cited as an authoritative statement during future international climate negotiations and litigation.
Ralph Regenvanu, special climate change envoy for Vanuatu, on Wednesday expressed disappointment in the U.S. and other major polluters on behalf of his country.
“These nations, some of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, have pointed to existing treaties and commitments that have regrettably failed to motivate substantial reductions in emissions… these treaties are essential, but they cannot be a veil for inaction or a substitute for legal accountability,” Regenvanu said, as The Guardian reported.
Vanuatu is leading the push for financial support and compensation for loss and damage for the countries that are most vulnerable to climate impacts — especially Pacific island nations — such as sea-level rise, flooding, drought and wildfires.
Taylor was dismissive of the ICJ weighing in on historic emitters being held responsible for their past pollution.
“An advisory proceeding is not the means to litigate whether individual states or groups of states have violated obligations pertaining to climate change in the past or bear responsibility for reparations… nor would it be appropriate to do so,” Taylor said, as reported by The Guardian.
There are three international courts of law responsible for providing advisory opinions concerning the climate crisis, including the ICJ, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
Earlier this year, ITLOS found that nations have a legal obligation to control greenhouse gases as pollutants.
“By leveraging science and law together, the ICJ can help course-correct the international response to climate change, providing justice and hope for future generations as they endeavor to stave off some of the worst climate harms. No matter what the court decides, civil society must continue to push for decision-making guided by science and climate-vulnerable communities, as well as challenge the outsized political power wielded by fossil fuel interests seeking to obstruct and delay climate goals for the sake of their own bottom lines,” Merner said in the press release.
Wolves in Europe will go from being “strictly protected” to “protected” next year after the Council of Europe backed a proposal by the European Union to downgrade their status.
Conservationists are concerned about the survival of the species, which bounced back after being on the edge of local extinction, reported The Guardian.
“This decision is a green light to shoot wolves, given by the international community in white gloves,” said Marta Klimkiewicz, science and policy advisor at ClientEarth, as The Guardian reported.
Last December, the status change was proposed by the European Commission at the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats in preparation for amending the EU’s nature protection law, reported Euronews.
The downgraded status, which was welcomed by hunters, reduces the standards for shooting a wolf. The EU has said wolves kill 65,000 animals annually that were intended to be slaughtered for human consumption, The Guardian reported.
During the last two centuries, wolf populations were decimated across much of Europe. They recovered following habitat protections and regulations to reduce hunting, and it is estimated that there are now 20,000 wolves roaming the continent. The more robust numbers have led to increased conflict with farmers, who have called for culls in rural areas.
Animal rights activists said the move puts the wolf population — which once disappeared completely from France — at risk, reported AFP.
Sofie Ruysschaert, nature restoration policy officer with BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, said the downgrading of wolves’ protected status risked “undoing decades of European conservation progress,” as The Guardian reported.
There have been no documented killings of humans by wolves this century.
“The risk of downgrading this status is to weaken or even cause the decline of this species in Europe,” said Yann Laurans, head of WWF-France’s land biodiversity team, as reported by AFP.
Some have said the culling of wolves will not reduce attacks on livestock.
Nathan Horrenberger of the French Foundation for Biodiversity Research said the decision to lower protection for wolves in Europe is “not going to help solve the problems facing livestock farmers, because wolves have been shot in European countries for years… and it’s not bearing fruit.”
Horrenberger told AFP that killing wolves could actually disrupt pack behavior, creating “more solitary animals, who turn to easier prey, namely farm animals.”
Just five countries voted against the proposal, according to environmental association Green Impact, who referred to the decision as a “disgrace” and promised to bring it to European courts.
According to the commission, the status change will go into effect on March 7 of 2025, unless one-third of its members object.
Assessments by the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe suggest that one wolf population is vulnerable and five are “near-threatened,” The Guardian reported.
Scientists overall have said the wolf population in Europe could survive the change, but also warn it could be fatal for local populations hovering near the survival threshold.
“Downgrading a species’ strict protection status for the political gain of a few, against scientific evidence, puts decades of conservation efforts at risk,” said Sabien Leemans, senior biodiversity policy officer with WWF’s European branch.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) — the United Nations’ highest court — began hearings on Monday in the biggest case in its history. The hearings involve what legal obligations States have when it comes to climate change.
The proceedings represent efforts by the international community to formulate a legal framework to address the climate crisis.
“Climate change for us is not a distant threat,” Vishal Prasad, director of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change — a group active in bringing the legal action — told journalists before the hearings, as The Guardian reported. “It is reshaping our lives right now. Our islands are at risk. Our communities face disruptive change at a rate and scale that generations before us have not known.”
Representatives from small Pacific island states gather outside the ICJ in The Hague, Netherlands on Dec. 2, 2024. Michel Porro / Getty Images
Vanuatu was the first country to present arguments at the hearings. The South Pacific nation of small islands urged the UN court to address the harms caused by climate change and the legal obligation of “a handful of readily identifiable states” to address their contributions to global heating and its impacts.
It is expected that a record amount of oral statements will be presented to the ICJ during the hearings, which will continue until December 13 in the Hague, Netherlands, reported UN News.
Following the hearings, the ICJ will issue an advisory opinion — expected in 2025 — to clarify the legal obligations of States under international law, as well as the consequences for breaching those duties.
ICJ’s advisory opinions are not legally binding, but experts say they clarify law and are authoritative documents that will be referred to in future climate litigation, as well as during international climate negotiations, The Guardian said in another report.
Ralph Regenvanu, special climate change and environment envoy representing Vanuatu, told the ICJ judges that the “readily identifiable states” responsible for the climate crisis had produced most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions while being the least affected by them.
The court heard testimony on how Vanuatu and other Pacific island states bear the brunt of more frequent and severe climate disasters, including rising sea levels.
“We find ourselves on the frontlines of a crisis we did not create,” Regenvanu said, as The Guardian reported.
The hearing was the result of diplomacy led by Vanuatu and years of work by Pacific island law students.
During the hearings, 98 countries will give statements, including wealthy nations most responsible for the climate crisis such as the United States, China, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Though the decision will not be legally binding, advisory opinions have “an authoritative value and cannot be neglected,” the ICJ Registrar said in a recent UN News interview.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the advisory opinion will assist the UN, General Assembly and Member States to “take the bolder and stronger climate action that our world so desperately needs,” as reported by UN News.
“It could also guide the actions and conduct of States in their relations with each other, as well as towards their own citizens. This is essential,” Guterres stressed.
Barbados has secured the world’s first “debt-for-climate” swap to finance crucial water and sewage projects that will help the island cope with the destructive impacts of climate change.
Through a deal with international funding partners, the Caribbean island nation was able to replace outstanding debt with less expensive financing, which generated a savings of $125 million to be used to increase food security while enhancing water resources management, a press release from the European Investment Bank (EIB) said.
“In the face of the climate crisis, this groundbreaking transaction serves as a model for vulnerable states, delivering rapid adaptation benefits for Barbados. With upfront funding from our partners, we are building a state-of-the-art facility to boost water management, food security, and resilience — showcasing how innovation and cooperation drive environmental and fiscal gains,” Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in the press release.
Countries have been embracing more debt swaps in order to make investment funds available for nature conservation projects, Reuters reported.
The deal sets a climate adaptation financing benchmark, those involved said. It avoids the increasing public debt burden while helping to meet the nearly $360 billion annually the United Nations has said is necessary to assist developing nations with adapting to climate change.
Water availability in Barbados for farming and other activities is far below the global average.
Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative calls for international financial institutions such as the World Bank to make ever increasing challenges like high debt levels, slower growth and climate change a priority.
Barbados plans to improve its water supply and security by building a New South Coast Water Reclamation and Reuse Facility to provide more than twice the available water by 2050. Additional funding will be put toward mangrove conservation, agricultural resilience and water restoration.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Inter-American Development Bank gave $70 million in loans to start development. An additional grant of $40 million was also provided by GCF.
Through the deal, Barbados was able to buy back nearly $300 million in domestic bonds using a loan provided by Scotiabank of Barbados, RBC Royal Bank and CIBC Caribbean Bank. The loan includes sustainability performance targets which must be met or the government will be subject to financial penalties. The loan is backed by $150 million each from the Inter-American Development Bank and EIB.
“Barbados’ initiative enhances climate resilience and sets a benchmark for sustainable adaptation for the Caribbean. CIBC Caribbean is honored to again collaborate with the Government of Barbados and multilateral agencies like the IDB and EIB in setting precedents for innovative financial mechanisms that drive environmental stewardship in our region. This partnership underscores our commitment to accelerating climate action and fostering sustainable development across the Caribbean,” said Mark St. Hill, chief executive officer of CIBC Caribbean, in the press release.
Part of the European Union’s Global Gateway project, the guarantee from EIB is an attempt to attract countries from the Global South that have been relying on China’s Belt & Road Initiative for infrastructure funding.
“Debt-for-climate conversions can support responses to two overlapping crises: constraining debt and the escalating climate emergency. The Green Climate Fund is a proud partner of Barbados in bringing a coalition of financiers together, all backing an innovative financial instrument aimed at helping the island nation achieve its development and climate goals,” said Mafalda Duarte, executive director of GCF, in the press release.
Following the recent United Nations biodiversity and climate conferences, the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) began Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the goal of tackling drought, desertification and land degradation.
The UN has found that, in order to restore the planet’s degraded lands and prevent desertification, an investment of at least $2.6 trillion will be needed by 2030.
“We depend on our land for survival. Yet, we treat it like dirt,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a press release from UNCCD.
The 12-day summit seeks to respond to drought in the face of climate change while protecting and restoring the world’s lands. The most recent previous UNCCD meeting — in 2022 in the Ivory Coast — yielded a promise for “accelerating the restoration of one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030,” reported AFP.
Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al Fadley speaks at the opening ceremony of COP16 on Dec. 2, 2024. Wang Dongzhen / Xinhua via Getty Images
“Even if the global geopolitical context overshadows these crucial meetings, this kind of astral conjunction may perhaps lead to concrete decisions,” said Mauro Centritto, a sustainable plant protection expert with Italy’s National Research Council who is representing civil society organizations from Western Europe in Riyadh, as Le Monde reported.
According to Centritto, it is time to “build synergies” to connect the three COP conferences, as global heating is likely to pass the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels established in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“If we don’t fight together against increasing droughts and advancing land degradation, we will never achieve the goals we have set ourselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect flora and fauna,” Centritto added.
At the COP16 gathering of 196 nations and the European Union, UNCCD said 1.5 billion hectares must now be restored by 2030 to combat escalating droughts and other crises, reported AFP.
One day prior to the COP16 conference in Saudi Arabia — a desert nation — a new UNCCD scientific report warned that degraded soils and forest loss were lowering resilience to biodiversity loss and climate change.
“If we fail to acknowledge the pivotal role of land and take appropriate action, the consequences will ripple through every aspect of life and extend well into the future,” Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD executive secretary, said in a press release from the World Meteorological Organization.
The degradation of Earth’s lands disrupts ecosystems while making the land less agriculturally productive, which leads to food shortages and migration.
Land is considered to be degraded when human activities such as deforestation or pollution harm its productivity. When degradation becomes extreme it leads to desertification.
“We are a desert country. We are exposed to the harshest mode of land degradation, which is desertification,” Osama Faqeeha, Saudi Arabia’s deputy environment minister, told AFP.
Saudi Arabia has a target of restoring 40 million hectares, including “several million hectares of land” by the end of the decade, Faqeeha said.
The country has recovered 240,000 hectares of land with methods like prohibiting illegal logging and the expansion of total national parks from less than 20 in 2016 to over 500, according to Faqeeha.
Lands can also be restored through crop rotation, tree planting, the restoration of wetlands and grazing management.
“We found ourselves caught in a vicious cycle that we must break,” Thiaw told the UNCCD conference, as AFP reported. “We can only achieve this if we move beyond the silos that hinder our collective action and if we adopt a holistic approach that recognizes the constant interaction between desertification, biodiversity loss, and the acceleration of climate change.”
The small leftwing party refused to support the government’s budget if it did not halt deep-sea mining exploration licenses scheduled for next year.
“This puts a stop to the plans to start deep-sea mining until the end of the government’s term,” said SV party leader Kirsti Bergstø, as The Guardian reported.
The announcement came after over a year of pressure from scientists, environmental activists and the international community, a press release from Greenpeace said.
HUGE WIN – Norway agreed to stop deep sea mining in the Arctic
This is a win for global mobilisation and a huge step forward to protect the Arctic
This fragile ecosystem is safe from deep sea mining at least until the end of 2025 – and we won’t stop there
#StopDeepSeaMining
“This is a huge win! After hard work from activists, environmentalists, scientists and fishermen, we have secured a historic win for ocean protection, as the opening process for deep sea mining in Norway has been stopped. The wave of protests against deep sea mining is growing. We will not let this industry destroy the unique life in the deep sea, not in the Arctic nor anywhere else,” said deep-sea mining campaigner Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle with Greenpeace Nordic, in the press release.
At the beginning of 2024, Norway became the first nation to approve commercial deep-sea mining.
According to the country’s coalition government, preparatory work — such as setting regulations and conducting environmental impact assessments — would continue while the licenses were suspended, reported The Guardian.
“This will be a postponement,” Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, a member of the Labour party, told private broadcaster TV2.
Norway is being sued by WWF over its plans to allow companies to mine an area of more than 100,000 square miles for deep-sea minerals without taking proper measures to adequately investigate the consequences.
The Norwegian Environment Agency said the impact assessment did not provide a sufficient legal or scientific basis for deep-sea mining.
A worldwide moratorium on deep-sea mining has been called for by over 900 ocean scientists.
Earlier this year, Europe’s parliament expressed concern over Norway’s decision to allow the destructive activities and called on Norwegian member states to back a moratorium.
Norway’s government said a study confirmed that a substantial store of minerals and metals — including copper and rare earth elements — were discovered on its continental shelf. These metals are necessary for the transition away from fossil fuels, it argued.
A 32-member coalition, including France, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany, has called for a deep-sea mining moratorium in international waters.
Greenpeace activists protest against deep-sea mining in the Arctic, on Sept. 20, 2024. Ulrich Perrey / picture alliance via Getty Images
“Millions of people across the world are calling on governments to resist the dire threat of deep sea mining to safeguard oceans worldwide. This is a huge step forward to protect the Arctic, and now it is time for Norway to join over 30 nations calling for a moratorium and be a true ocean champion,” said Louisa Casson, campaigner for Greenpeace International Stop Deep Sea Mining, in the press release.
Deep-sea mining is devastating to marine ecosystems, producing toxic sediment plumes that choke the unique sea life that lives on the bottom of the ocean floor while creating disruptive noise pollution and turning the seabed into a barren wasteland.
“Stopping the Norwegian deep sea mining plans is an important step in stopping this industry from destroying life at the bottom of the sea. Any government that is committed to sustainable ocean management cannot support deep sea mining. It has been truly embarrassing to watch Norway positioning itself as an ocean leader, while planning to give green light to ocean destruction in its own waters,” Helle said in the press release.
The meeting in Busan, South Korea was supposed to be the last, but negotiations will continue into 2025, reported The Associated Press.
“It is clear that there is still persisting divergence,” said Inger Andersen, the United Nations Environment Programme’s executive director, as Reuters reported.
The fifth meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) ended with countries still far from establishing the fundamental scope of a global plastics treaty.
Putting a cap on plastic production, the management of “chemicals of concern” used in the plastics making process and plastic products, as well as financing for developing countries in implementing the treaty were the most divisive issues during negotiations.
Panama proposed a path to a worldwide plastic production reduction target, which was supported by more than 100 nations, while an entirely different proposal had no provisions for a cap on production.
According to a Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analysis, more than 200 representatives of the chemical and fossil fuel industry attended the talks — the largest group of delegates at the meeting, reported The Guardian.
Sixteen plastics industry lobbyists were present in the delegations from China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Egypt, Finland and the Dominican Republic.
A draft revised document released Sunday by Luis Vayas Valdivieso, chair of the meeting, could be the foundation for a treaty, but still included multiple options on the most contentious issues, reported Reuters.
“A treaty that… only relies on voluntary measures would not be acceptable,” said Juliet Kabera, Rwandan Environment Management Authority director general. “It is time we take it seriously and negotiate a treaty that is fit for purpose and not built to fail.”
Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations expressed strong opposition to the reduction of plastics production and attempted to delay negotiations with procedural tactics.
“There was never any consensus,” said Al Gwaiz, delegate from Saudi Arabia. “There are a couple of articles that somehow seem to make it (into the document) despite our continued insistence that they are not within the scope.”
According to dataset manager Eunomia, the United States, China, India, Saudi Arabia and South Korea were 2023’s five biggest producers of polymers.
If a treaty could have been established at INC-5, it would have been among the most important environmental protection deals since the Paris Agreement.
During the talks, the U.S., which had expressed support for voluntary production reductions, was accused of not using its sway to press for legally binding actions.
“Despite maintaining in the lead-up to and during the INC that production and chemicals were important measures for the treaty, they refused to… answer the call to join more than 100 countries calling for legally binding measures,” said Rachel Radvany, campaigner for environmental law group CIEL, as reported by The Guardian.
A 2023 report from the UN Environment Programme found more than 3,200 plastic chemicals of concern, which are especially toxic for women and children, Reuters reported.
Plastic production worldwide is on course to triple by mid-century.
Several negotiators participating in the talks expressed an urgent desire to resume the talks.
“Every day of delay is a day against humanity. Postponing negotiations does not postpone the crisis,” said Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, head of Panama’s delegation, as reported by Reuters. “When we reconvene, the stakes will be higher.”
HUGE WIN – Norway agreed to stop deep sea mining in the Arctic
This is a win for global mobilisation and a huge step forward to protect the Arctic
This fragile ecosystem is safe from deep sea mining at least until the end of 2025 – and we won’t stop there
#StopDeepSeaMining
(