International
Climate pledges still ‘nowhere near’ enough for 1.5C: UN
| By AFP | Kelly Macnamara |
International climate pledges remain far off track to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a UN report released Wednesday, less than two weeks ahead of high-stakes negotiations to tackle global warming.
The combined climate pledges of more than 190 nations that signed up to the 2015 Paris climate deal put Earth on track to warm around 2.5C compared to pre-industrial levels by the century’s end, the UN said.
With the planet already battered by climate-enhanced heatwaves, storms and floods after just 1.2C of warming, experts say the world is still failing to act with sufficient urgency to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
“We are still nowhere near the scale and pace of emission reductions required to put us on track toward a 1.5 degrees Celsius world,” said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change.
“To keep this goal alive, national governments need to strengthen their climate action plans now and implement them in the next eight years.”
The UN’s climate experts have said emissions — compared to 2010 levels — need to fall 45 percent by 2030 in order to meet the Paris deal’s more ambitious goal.
In this latest report, the UN said that current commitments from governments around the world will in fact increase emissions by 10.6 percent by 2030, from 2010. This was a slight improvement from a similar analysis a year ago.
‘Disappointing’
When nations met in Glasgow last year for a previous round of climate negotiations, they agreed to speed up their climate pledges to cut carbon pollution this decade and increase financial flows to vulnerable developing nations.
But only 24 countries, of 193, had updated their plans at the time of the report, which Stiell said was “disappointing”.
“Government decisions and actions must reflect the level of urgency, the gravity of the threats we are facing, and the shortness of the time we have remaining to avoid the devastating consequences of runaway climate change,” he said.
He called on governments to revisit and strengthen their carbon cutting plans in line with the Paris temperature goals before the UN climate meeting, which will be held from November 6 to 18 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Nations are meeting in the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and cascading global crises of hunger, energy prices and living costs, exacerbated by extreme weather.
Research by the World Resources Institute suggests that the world needs to curb emissions six times faster by 2030 than the current trajectory to meet the 1.5C warming cap.
Australia and Indonesia have offered “some momentum” by stepping up their climate pledges since the last UN climate negotiations, said WRI’s Taryn Fransen, adding that further announcements from a range of countries including the European Union, Chile, Turkey and Vietnam are expected this year.
She said the world’s second biggest emitter, the United States, took a “massive step” this year with measures in its new sweeping climate and inflation bill and urged China, the biggest emitter, to set a specific goal to cut planet-warming methane pollution.
‘Transformative response’
A second UN report also released Wednesday looked at longer term and “net-zero” climate goals to around mid century put forward by dozens of countries.
It found that those countries’ greenhouse gas emissions would be 68 percent lower by 2050 than they were in 2019, if all strategies were fully implemented.
“This is a sobering moment, and we are in a race against time,” said Sameh Shoukry, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and President-Designate of the upcoming UN COP27 talks.
Countries need to do more, he said, adding that the “alarming findings merit a transformative response” in Egypt.
Scientists have warned that any rise above 1.5C risks the collapse of ecosystems and the triggering of irreversible shifts in the climate system.
With the impacts slamming hardest into countries least responsible for fossil fuel emissions, calls have grown louder for richer polluters to pay “loss and damage” to vulnerable nations.
In a landmark report this year on climate impacts and vulnerabilities, the UN’s 195-nation Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that time had nearly run out to ensure a “liveable future” for all.
That report was signed off by the same governments that will return to negotiations in Egypt.
International
Joe Biden finishes prostate cancer radiotherapy at Penn Medicine
Former U.S. President Joe Biden completed his prostate cancer radiotherapy on Monday, a condition he has been managing since 2023.
The 82-year-old touched a ceremonial bell at Penn Medicine in Pennsylvania after his final session, according to a video posted on Instagram by his daughter, Ashley Biden. She expressed gratitude to the doctors and nurses for the care her father received during his treatment.
A spokesperson for Biden told ABC News that it is currently unclear whether the former president will need to continue radiotherapy.
Biden’s prostate cancer was detected during a routine check-up. According to his medical team, it was a localized, slow-growing tumor. At the time of diagnosis, doctors indicated a positive prognosis with no signs of metastasis.
Central America
White House targets Nicaragua over human rights and labor violations
The White House is considering imposing new tariffs of up to 100% on Nicaragua or removing the country from the benefits of the CAFTA-DR free trade agreement, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) reported Monday.
The USTR determined that Nicaragua’s policies under the Ortega-Murillo regime regarding violations of labor and human rights, as well as the dismantling of the rule of law, are “unreasonable” and constitute a burden on commerce.
The resolution follows an investigation that began on December 10, 2024, when the USTR, based on recommendations from the Section 301 Committee and other advisory bodies, started reviewing the practices of Nicaragua’s government. The process included a public hearing and more than 160 comments and testimonies, including evidence of severe human rights abuses that have been forwarded to the U.S. State Department for evaluation and follow-up.
The report published Monday extensively documents how Nicaragua’s authoritarian practices — including the repression of fundamental freedoms — create a high-risk environment for U.S. businesses and investments.
International
Zelenskyy: Meeting with Trump “Positive” Despite Rejected Missile Request
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described his reportedly tense meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week as “positive,” despite failing to secure Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine. He emphasized what he said was the continued U.S. interest in economic cooperation with Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said Trump backed away from the possibility of sending long-range missiles to Ukraine after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, held just hours before the U.S. and Ukrainian leaders met on Friday.
“In my view, he doesn’t want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them,” Zelenskyy told reporters Sunday. His remarks were embargoed until Monday morning.
Ukraine is seeking to purchase 25 Patriot air defense systems from U.S. manufacturers using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners. However, Zelenskyy noted that acquiring all of them will take time due to long production lines. He said he discussed with Trump potential support to accelerate procurement, possibly through European partners.
According to Zelenskyy, Trump stated during their meeting that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sweeping demands — that Ukraine cede the entire eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk — remain unchanged.
Zelenskyy was diplomatic when describing his encounter with Trump, though reports suggest he faced pressure to accept Putin’s terms — a strategy Trump has reportedly maintained since the tense Oval Office confrontation on February 28, when the Ukrainian leader was publicly scolded for not being “grateful enough” for U.S. aid.
Still, Zelenskyy said that since Trump ultimately supported maintaining the current front line, the overall message was “positive” for Ukraine.
Joe Biden finishes prostate cancer radiotherapy at Penn Medicine
White House targets Nicaragua over human rights and labor violations
Zelenskyy: Meeting with Trump “Positive” Despite Rejected Missile Request
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