People around the world can now keep tabs on countries’ promises and proposals on combating climate change, thanks to a new online tool launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Climate Pledge Tracker was launched today in Copenhagen, Denmark, where nations are currently meeting with the aim of agreeing on an ambitious new agreement. The new programme will be updated as new proposals are made in the...
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Easing change in the climate will be costly by John M Broder
In energy infrastructure alone, the transformational ambitions the Copenhagen meet is expected to set will cost more than $10 trillion in additional investment. If negotiators reach an accord at the climate talks in Copenhagen it will entail profound shifts in energy production, dislocations in how and where people live, sweeping changes in agriculture and forestry and the creation of complex new markets in global warming pollution credits. So what is...
More »Life-saving early warning systems for droughts are focus at UN-backed meeting
With the frequency and severity of droughts likely to increase due to climate change, more than 60 scientists from all the world’s regions are meeting at a United Nations-backed conference in the United States this week to draw up guidelines for early warning systems that could save countless lives. “Early warning systems for drought allow individuals and communities to act in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of loss of...
More »Copenhagen talks heading towards agreement on new climate deal – UN
Talks under way at the historic United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, have entered the drafting phase towards reaching a final agreement. The two-week summit in the Danish capital entered its fourth day today, and negotiators have only a few days to wrap up their work before the start of the high-level segments next week, which will draw government ministers and heads of State. The UN Framework Convention...
More »Tough times ahead for shipping industry owing to economic crisis, reports UN agency
Around 80 per cent of global trade is transported by sea but challenging times are ahead for the shipping industry, which is faced with a surge in the supply of vessels and tumbling freight rates amid the economic crisis, says a report released today by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The agency’s Review of Maritime Transport 2009, known as RMT, notes that international seaborne trade grew...
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