Climate Change








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Climate Change

Four people are seriously injured after a grizzly attack on a school group in British Columbia

On Thursday, a grizzly attacked a group of schoolchildren and an adult on a British Columbia walking trail. Three children were seriously injured. On Friday, officers were still looking for the animal. The attack took place in Bella Coola, a town on the central coast of Canada’s westernmost province. Residents have been asked to stay indoors until further notice. B.C. Conservation Officer Service posted a Facebook statement saying that despite overnight efforts, the bear had not been captured. According to a statement, the students and teachers were stopped on a trail near a river when the grizzly emerged from the...

Environment

Glass Lewis considers US investment advisor registration to ease criticism

Glass Lewis' top executive has said that the company may register as an investment adviser in the United States. This would expose it to greater regulation, but could also help ease criticisms from Republican politicians and corporate executives over its proxy voting advice. Glass Lewis Chief Strategist Cheryl Gustitus said in an interview with The Washington Post on Friday that "we're seriously considering registering as an investment advisor" at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Gustitus didn't give a time frame for when the company owned by Canada’s Peloton Capital Management, and its Chairman Stephen Smith might make a final decision....

Climate Change

Two tourists reported dead after being lost in a snowstorm in Patagonian Chile

Media reports said that rescue workers searched on Tuesday for a group who had gone missing during a powerful storm in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, located in southern Patagonia. The storm killed at least 2 Mexicans. According to T13, one of the victims died after she was evacuated. Guillermo Ruiz is the delegate of the president for Chile's southern Ultima Esperanza Province. He told T13 the first responders are still searching for seven people but bad weather has complicated the search. The tourists are lost in the Los Perros camp of the national park, Ruiz stated. It...

Carbon Emissions

Focus on wildfire prevention at COP30 amid record destruction

Wildfires caused the largest tropical forest losses in 2024 Global warming is expected to worsen destruction Communities put in the center of fire prevention at COP30 By Andre Cabette Fabio The government agencies responsible for the environment and forests in Ecuador, Peru Ghana and Kenya, along with more than 30 environmental and indigenous groups from around the world, signed an agreement that will secure $100 million by 2030. The pledge will initially focus on the Amazon Basin - the largest tropical forest in the world, which is located mostly in Brazil. Fires are raging in forests that were not likely...

Climate Change

US announces new approach to proxy disputes, seen by activist shareholders as a blow

On Monday, the top U.S. financial regulatory body changed the grounds for which companies can request permission to skip voting on shareholder resolutions. This is seen as making things more difficult for activists who want to force votes about controversial topics like climate change or workplace diversity. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced on its website that it will no longer rule on common proxy objections such as whether or not an activist's request was filed late, or if the filer owns enough shares. The SEC stated that there is an exception if a company claims jurisdictional reasons, such as...

Environment

Environmental group: Tyson Foods will stop making carbon emission claims

Tyson Foods agreed to cease claiming it would reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050, and to stop marketing beef as climate-friendly in order to settle a suit that accused the U.S. Meat Company of misleading consumers. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group announced this on Monday. The Environmental Working Group reported on Monday that companies have been accused of "greenwashing," where they present an image of environmental responsibility to the public. In the lawsuit filed by Environmental Working Group, Tyson's Brazen Beef brand was cited as an example of misleading advertising. The company claimed that this was the...

Climate Change

USDA targeted grants for cancellation by searching for terms such as 'diversity' and 'climate modelling'

Documents seen by have revealed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked its staff to search for over two dozen words and phrases relating to climate change and diversity in order to determine which grants could be terminated during the first months of the second Trump Administration. This effort was part of a broader campaign among federal agencies in order to comply with President Donald Trump’s directives that diversity, equity and inclusivity efforts and climate regulations be eliminated within the federal government. Trump called DEI "racist", "illegal", and pressured private institutions like universities to end diversity practices. Climate change has...

Climate Change

USDA targeted grants for cancellation by searching for terms such as 'diversity' and 'climate modelling'

Documents seen by have revealed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked its staff to search for over two dozen words and phrases relating to climate change and diversity in order to determine which grants could be terminated during the first months of the second Trump Administration. This effort was part of a broader campaign among federal agencies in order to comply with President Donald Trump’s directives that diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as well as climate regulation be eliminated within the federal government. Trump called DEI a "racist" practice and said it was "illegal". He also pressed private institutions...

Climate Change

US Arctic policy overhauled by Trump sees departure of US Arctic research official

A senior Alaska Native official, who was responsible for overseeing the federal agency that is in charge of U.S. Arctic research policy, quietly left her position in the last few days. This information comes from a source with knowledge of the issue and documents seen. The departure of Elizabeth Qaulluq Cravalho who was a member of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission (USARC) until earlier this month is the latest indication of the turmoil in the Arctic research community and the policymaking process since Republican U.S. president Donald Trump assumed office in January. Sources say that the exact nature of Cravalho's...

Climate Change

Alaska sues over aerial bear hunting to protect caribou

On Monday, environmental groups sued Alaska’s wildlife authorities to stop a predator-control plan that allows game wardens to hunt an unlimited number of bears using helicopters in a vast area where a protected herd of caribou roams. The groups claim that the Board of Game reinstated the program, without taking into account the impact on grizzly bear and black beaver populations. This is a violation of Alaska's wildlife conservation provisions. The suit was filed in the state district court of Anchorage. It claimed that state fish and games agents had killed 175 black bears and 175 grizzlies since 2023 under...

Climate Change

China's Vice Premier urges the end of trade barriers that are holding back green transformation

Ding Xuexiang, vice premier of China, called on fellow leaders to show "true multiculturalism" at the climate summit held in Brazil. Ding, via a translation, said: "We must strengthen international collaboration in green technology and the industry, remove trade obstacles, and ensure free flow of high-quality green products, to better meet global sustainable development needs." Ding told the official Xinhua News Agency on Friday that the developed countries must fulfill their obligation "to lead in emission reduction and honour their funding commitments", as well as provide more assistance to developing countries. He said that China was willing to work with...

Energy Markets

Brazilian startup becomes Google's top supplier of carbon credits after Google deals with Amazon for reforestation

Google's biggest deal to remove carbon emissions involves financing the restoration of Amazon rainforests with Brazilian startup Mombak. This comes as big tech searches for high-quality credits that can offset emissions from energy-hungry data centres. Companies said the deal would offset 200 metric tons carbon emissions. This is four times more than a pilot agreement signed in September 2024 between Google and Mombak, its sole supplier of forestry credits. Both companies declined comment on the deal's value. The agreement shows how big tech wants to mitigate the climate impact of its massive investment in data centers that use a lot...

Europe

Environment

France will provide $150 million to the wine industry for vine uprooting

The French Agriculture Ministry announced on Monday that it would provide additional assistance to the wine industry of 130 million Euros ($149.80 Million) to prevent excessive production. It would also request the European Union's help. The ministry stated that the sector was in a "deteriorating" situation. This is due to the climate change effects, which have affected harvests repeatedly for several years. Also, there has been a decline in the consumption of wine, particularly red wines, and geopolitical tensions. France has subsidised vine removal to combat oversupply due to falling wine consumption. This approach is criticised by producers who claim...

Climate Change

The US backs away from the COP30 agreement, exposing the fragile unity of climate as a result.

Andre Correa do Lago, COP30 president, reminded the delegates of the costs of failure in the final hours of the U.N. Climate Summit in Brazil. It was the first climate conference held since Donald Trump's administration in the U.S. abandoned international cooperation to combat global warming. This made it vital for the countries to reach an agreement that demonstrated unity. He told the delegates that those who do not believe that cooperation is the most effective way to deal with climate change will be delighted that we are unable to reach an agreement. "So, it is important that we reach...

Climate Change

Erdogan praises a'meaningful deal' with Australia regarding hosting the COP31 Summit

The Turkish president Tayyip Erdoan praised the deal that was reached on Saturday with Australia to host the U.N. Climate Summit next year, calling it a significant achievement for multilateralism. After a long standoff, both countries have agreed that Turkey will be the host of the COP31 Summit in 2026 and Australia will lead the negotiations. Ankara, Canberra and both had bid to host the conference in 2022 and refused to back down since. Erdogan said at an event on Saturday night in Johannesburg, "Considering that multilateralism in recent years has lost ground, I consider this agreement we reached with...

Western Europe

South America

Climate Change

Brazil's Lula claims that'multilateralism wins' despite Trump's opposition

Brazil's president Luiz inacio Lula da Silva said that the G20 climate summit in South Africa, and the COP30 summit in Brazil, show that multilateralism remains alive despite attempts by U.S. Donald Trump to dismantle. "Trump is trying to preach against multilateralism and to reinforce unilateralism. "I think multilateralism is going to win," he said to reporters at the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg. Lula said that Trump's absence from the summit "didn't really matter" to him. "The G20 is still strong." "We need to put the decisions we made into action," he said. He added that he was...

Environment

The EU objectors to the proposed deal prolong the COP30 discussions

Brazil's COP30 summit was forced to face a crucial day on Saturday after all-night discussions to break an impasse. The European Union had blocked a deal that it felt would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases, which are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200...

Fossil Fuels

The EU objectors to the proposed deal prolong the COP30 discussions

Brazil's COP30 Climate Summit faced a crunch-day on Saturday, after all night talks to overcome an impass after the European Union had blocked a deal it claimed would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases that are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200 countries attending...

Pollution

Draft COP30 deal drops effort for fossil fuel transition agreement

Brazil, the COP30 summit's president, released a draft of a proposed agreement for this year’s U.N. Climate Summit early on Friday. It dropped a proposal that was included in a previous version to develop a plan to move away from fossil-fuels. This issue was one of the most controversial at the two week conference in the Brazilian Amazon city of Belem, attended by nearly 200 government officials. The nations have been arguing over the future for fossil fuels. Their burning releases greenhouse gases, which are the biggest contributors to global warming. The first draft of the deal, which was released...

Environment

Belem in Brazil, the host city of COP30, is trying to boost its economy and preserve Amazon rainforest.

Brazil's economic model is designed to benefit locals from a healthy forest. It was developed on the banks of Guama River, where the city Belem borders the Amazon rainforest. The state government of Para, instead of clearing trees to make way for mines and cattle, unveiled this year a research-and-development program that will help locals turn forest products such as acai or Brazil nuts into goods destined for international markets. The program is a part of a larger plan to demonstrate to the world, in Belem, the host city for the COP30 climate summit, that Brazil can protect the Amazon...

Environment

Fire interrupts negotiations at COP30 Climate Summit, forcing evacuation

Officials said that the fire which forced the evacuation of the COP30 Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil, on Thursday has been put out. However, it is unclear whether delegates will return immediately to continue the negotiations. The Brazilian tourism minister informed reporters on the scene that the fire had been put out and that no one had been injured. However, he was unsure if delegates could return to the area of the venue in which the summit negotiations took place today or tomorrow. The summit organizers confirmed that the fire had been brought under control and added that Brazilian fire...

Fossil Fuels

UN chief welcomes COP30's push for clarity about transition away from fossil fuels

On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an agreement from the Climate summit COP30 Some have called for clarification on the controversial subject of weaning off the world. fossil fuels The Belem summit, in Brazil's Amazonian city, missed the self-imposed deadline of Wednesday to reach agreement between the 200+ countries that were present. This included issues such as how to increase climate financing and move away from fossil fuels. Guterres said at a summit press conference: "I welcome the calls for a just and fair transition mechanism, as well as the growing coalition that is calling for clarity in...

Carbon Emissions

Brazil's Lula presses COP30 negotiators to reach an early climate agreement

Brazil's President was scheduled to meet with key negotiators on Wednesday at the COP30 Summit as part of a push to reach a deal before schedule on some the most controversial issues in the global talks on climate change, including fossil fuels. Nearly 200 countries have gathered in the Amazonian city of Belem for a two-week U.N. Summit to increase multilateral action on climate change. The United States was absent, but the United States is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Brazil, the host country, hopes to break the trend of recent climate summits that have run past their deadlines...

Environment

Launch of UN-backed carbon markets could be delayed by funding issues

Five sources said that plans to launch a U.N. supported global market to trade carbon offset credits hit a snag during the COP30 Summit, as governments struggled to resolve a disagreement over funding in order to get the market running. The U.N. has been trying to create a global carbon market since the early 2000s. At last year's climate summit, rules were agreed on for a U.N. centralised trading system that allows countries and companies to buy CO2 emission credits which represent emissions reductions from poorer countries. It is intended to allow richer countries and companies to count these emission...

Environment

Jamaica asks for $9.5 billion to rebuild after Melissa

Jamaica has spent many years building up a fund to deal with climate-driven disasters. The money was only enough to cover 5% of a storm's cost. Matthew Samuda, Jamaican cabinet Minister, said that Hurricane Melissa left the island with bills of $10 billion. Of this amount only $500 million could be covered by climate-preparation reserve funds. Jamaica has asked wealthy nations to offer urgent grants, investments and concessional financing at the COP30 Climate Summit in Belem. It does not want commercial rate loans, which would burden the country with additional debt, as it faces an uncertain future that is expected...

Energy Markets

Brazil's slow shuffle climate negotiations at COP30 turns into a sprint

Brazil hopes to reach an early agreement at the COP30 Climate Summit on some of its most controversial issues after revealing a bold strategy of negotiation that kept delegates working until the wee hours of Tuesday morning. The two-week Belem summit, which took place in the Amazonian city, brought governments from around the world together to reinforce the U.N. framework for global action that aims to stop rising temperatures and deal with their damage. Brazil, the host nation, wants to reach a deal in two phases: one on Wednesday that includes items that were too difficult a week earlier to...

Carbon Emissions

Demand for carbon credits is fueled by the Big Tech industry

The demand from tech giants for high-quality credits to offset their AI emissions is fueling a shortage, which experts say is what's needed to stimulate investment in this nascent industry. Credits tied to forest preservation projects will be nearly four times as expensive in 2024 due to heavy purchases by companies such as Microsoft and Google over the past two years. Credit experts report that Big Tech collectively has spent hundreds of millions on carbon removals which capture and store CO2 for an extended time, a large portion of this in the past two years. According to CDR.fyi, the total...