The Latest: COP26: Countries pledge 30% methane reduction

3 years ago 240

The latest connected U.N. climate acme COP26:

GLASGOW, Scotland — Countries liable for astir fractional the world’s methane emissions are signing a pledge Tuesday to chopped by astatine slightest 30% the magnitude of the potent greenhouse state they merchandise into the ambiance implicit the adjacent decade.

Clamping down connected methane flaring and leaks from lipid wells and state pipelines is considered 1 of the easiest ways to chopped emissions.

Cutting methane produced from agriculture — successful peculiar by belching cows — is simply a trickier matter.

Dozens of countries, including the United States, European Union members, Britain, are signing up to the pledge. It is portion of a bid of methane-reduction efforts announced by the Biden medication Tuesday.

Helen Mountford, a clime adept astatine the World Resources Institute, said the statement “sets a strong floor in presumption of the ambition we request globally.”

___

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin says Russia relies connected its immense forests and “their important capableness to sorb c dioxide and nutrient oxygen” successful achieving the extremity of gathering a carbon-neutral system by 2060.

Putin said Tuesday that “after all, our state accounts for astir 20% of the world’s forestland.”

Experts person questioned Russia’s calculations connected conscionable however overmuch c its forests absorb, peculiarly successful airy of the devastating wood fires the state has seen successful caller years.

Putin made the comments successful a video connection astatine the motorboat of a caller inaugural aimed astatine preventing deforestation, which was announced astatine the U.N. clime acme successful Glasgow connected Tuesday. Putin isn’t attending COP26 successful person, and nary crushed has been fixed for him not going.

Putin besides said that “we amended wood management, and combat amerciable logging and wood fires. We are expanding reforestation areas. We person been consistently expanding backing for these purposes."

The Russian person said Moscow expects the caller declaration connected forests and onshore usage backed by 100 countries to facilitate “closer partnerships” betwixt countries successful wood conservation and to assistance “to fulfill the objectives of reducing levels of c dioxide successful the ambiance acceptable retired successful the Paris Agreement.”

___

KAMPALA, Uganda — The International Rescue Committee is urging satellite leaders attending the U.N. clime acme to urgently put successful clime resilience and famine prevention among the world’s astir susceptible countries.

In immoderate African countries wherever the radical operates, including Somalia, radical look “the crisp extremity of the clime crisis,” including exigency conditions with existent levels of planetary warming, it said.

“We’re highly disquieted astir the interaction of continuing drought and struggle connected susceptible populations passim the horn of Africa, wherever a ample proportionality of the colonisation relies heavy connected crops to devour and merchantability for their livelihoods, Kurt Tjossem, the group’s vice president for East Africa, said successful a statement.

In Somalia, 3.5 cardinal radical look hunger aft a failed harvest, with farmers who beryllium connected livestock seeing their animals dice from thirst daily, helium said.

Although Africa contributes slightest to planetary warming, experts accidental the continent of 1.3 cardinal radical volition endure astir from its effects.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says astir 1,000 cities and section governments person backed a run for a nett zero future, promising to purse ambitious clime actions to bounds the emergence of planetary temperatures.

Garcetti, the outgoing seat of the C40 radical of large metropolis mayors, told a sheet treatment astatine the U.N. clime league successful Glasgow connected Tuesday that the communities promised to prosecute actions successful enactment with gathering the extremity of limiting planetary somesthesia increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

Scientists accidental clip is moving retired to conscionable that extremity and the privation to support that extremity live has been a centerpiece of the conference.

The 1,049 communities signed up for 1 oregon much actions, specified arsenic divesting from fossil fuels, creating sustainable nutrient systems and committing to trim aerial pollution. The actions person the imaginable to trim planetary emissions by astatine slightest 1.4 gigatons annually by 2030.

Garcetti said that “this needs to beryllium the decennary of exponential action.’’

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — President Joe Biden and different satellite leaders are making a transportation for his Build Back Better World initiative, the U.S. president’s effort to connection an alternate to China’s infrastructure financing.

Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are hosting a gathering Tuesday of Group of Seven developed nations and different countries that would payment from spending connected infrastructure.

Biden says “The choices we marque today, and I virtually mean today, resonate for decades to come.”

The White House says the programme is meant to connection a “clear contrast” to China’s monolithic infrastructure financing programme known arsenic the Belt and Road initiative.

In an evident notation to China, with whom the U.S. is competing, Biden says it’s important to respond to the needs of processing countries and that projects not beryllium dictated “from afar.”

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — Environmentalists person launched their accepted “Fossil of the Day” awards astatine the U.N. clime conference, with Britain and Australia the archetypal to person the questionable honor.

Climate Action Network, an umbrella radical of hundreds of non-governmental organizations, said galore observers who had traveled agelong distances to be the acme were prevented from reaching meetings due to the fact that of lengthy lines. When they tried to log connected from elsewhere, method problems prevented them from connecting, CAN said.

It urged the big state to amended enactment truthful civilian nine groups tin enactment successful the talks.

Australia received the 2nd “fossil” for precocious approving 3 caller ember projects adjacent arsenic it claimed to beryllium stepping up its efforts to curb greenhouse state emissions, CAN said.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — Cyprus’ president says his authorities is moving with neighboring countries to travel up with a determination enactment program aimed astatine tackling clime alteration successful the eastbound Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Nicos Anastasiades told the U.N. clime league successful Glasgow connected Tuesday that 240 scientists from the Middle East and Europe are already moving to hole argumentation recommendations, measures and “specific solutions” for the portion that has been classified a “global clime alteration hot-spot.”

Anastasiades said successful the adjacent fewer months, a gathering of determination ministers volition precede a leaders’ acme that volition endorse the enactment program and acceptable up monitoring mechanisms to guarantee “implementation of our commitments.”

Cyprus hosted a determination clime alteration league past period that underscored the request for a speedy power successful the Middle East and the eastbound Mediterranean from fossil fuels to renewable vigor sources due to the fact that greenhouse state emissions are helping to thrust up determination temperatures faster than successful galore different inhabited parts of the world.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — Ecuador’s president has announced that his state is expanding the marine reserve astir the Galapagos Islands by astir half.

President Guillermo Lasso told the U.N. clime league successful Glasgow connected Tuesday that the authorities has agreed with the fishery, tourism and conservation sectors to found a caller marine reserve successful the Galapagos Islands of 60,000 quadrate kilometers (more than 23,000 quadrate miles).

Lasso said this would beryllium added to an existing marine reserve of astir 130,000 quadrate kilometers (50,000 quadrate miles).

Experts says oceans are peculiarly susceptible to clime alteration and the Galapagos Islands are considered 1 of the world’s biodiversity jewels.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — More than 100 countries are pledging to end deforestation, which scientists accidental is simply a large operator of clime change.

Britain hailed the committedness arsenic the archetypal large accomplishment of the United Nations clime league successful Glasgow.

But campaigners accidental they request to spot the item -- specified promises person been made, and broken, before.

The U.K. authorities said it has received commitments from leaders representing much than 85% of the world’s forests to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

More than $19 cardinal successful nationalist and backstage funds person been pledged toward the plan, which is backed by countries including Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Indonesia, Russia and the United States.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — The mayors of Seattle and Freetown successful Sierra Leone greeted each different similar agelong mislaid sisters on a bid hurtling toward Glasgow.

They person been bonded by years of Zoom calls and collaboration successful the combat against clime change. They pb cities connected antithetic sides of the economical and clime divide.

One is successful the chill and northwestern country of the 1 of the world’s richest nations. The different is the superior of an impoverished state successful the tropics of westbound Africa.

But Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Freetown counterpart Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr are some connected the beforehand lines of planetary warming and they are moving to guarantee their cities are prepared for rising oversea levels, torrential rains and utmost heat.

___

POINTE-AUX-CHENES, Louisiana — Faith leaders and activists crossed the satellite are progressively joining the combat against clime change driven by a motivation imperative to sphere instauration for aboriginal generations.

Christian pastors person joined forces with Native American tribes to support their hurricane-prone coastal lands arsenic clime alteration contributes to rising oversea levels.

Hindu groups joined stream cleanups. And mosques organized tree-planting campaigns. But they judge systemic alteration to support those astir susceptible to the clime situation indispensable besides travel from satellite leaders.

___

BEIJING — China is the largest contributor to planetary warming and China’s radical are already suffering the brunt of clime change.

Historic floods that destroyed farms this summertime successful the country’s cultivation heartland are a preview of the benignant of utmost conditions the state is apt to look arsenic the satellite warms.

Chinese authorities reports besides foretell rising oversea levels volition endanger large coastal cities portion melting glaciers imperil occidental China’s h2o supply. Those with the slightest resources to accommodate are often connected the frontlines of suffering successful a communal signifier astir the world. As 1 husbandman successful Henan state said, “Ordinary radical endure most.”

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — President Joe Biden is seeking to whip up clime change-fighting efforts overseas at a clip erstwhile his ain clime authorities astatine location is again successful limbo.

Biden is attending a U.N. clime acme successful Glasgow, Scotland, for a 2nd and last time Tuesday. He’s owed to beforehand planetary efforts to sphere forests and stem methane leaks earlier flying location to Washington.

But Biden’s clime efforts connected the planetary signifier are playing retired arsenic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has again raised doubts astir Biden’s societal spending package, including its $555 cardinal successful clime provisions.

___

WASHINGTON — The Biden medication is launching a wide-ranging program to reduce methane emissions, targeting a potent greenhouse state that contributes importantly to planetary warming.

Methane packs a stronger short-term clime punch than adjacent c dioxide. The program was being announced arsenic President Joe Biden wraps up a two-day quality astatine a U.N. clime acme successful Glasgow, Scotland. It would tighten methane regulations for the lipid and state assemblage and ace down connected leaks from pipelines.

A projected regularisation would for the archetypal clip people emissions from existing lipid and state wells nationwide, alternatively than absorption lone connected caller wells.

Read Entire Article