Latest news with #Cop28
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Revealed: The true cost of climate crisis for world's poorest countries
Extreme weather fuelled by the climate crisis has cost some of the world's poorest countries $156 billion (£116bn) across the past two decades, the Independent can reveal. Intense drought, flooding, cyclones and more have impacted 364 million people and caused more than 42,000 deaths since 2000– 17,000 of which can be directly attributed to climate change. The nations hardest hit are Somalia, Haiti and Uganda. Researchers at ODI Global, an international think tank, also found the climate crisis had contributed to billions of dollars worth of agricultural losses, with farmers across Somalia and Ethiopia forced to abandon their livelihoods amid growing food scarcity, saying the stark findings should serve as a 'wake-up call for global policymakers'. "If the UK suffered tens of billions of pounds worth of damage caused by other countries' actions, our government and the public would rightfully be shouting from the rooftops about the injustice,' Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth told The Independent. "Yet this is the reality for many countries on the frontlines of climate breakdown that have contributed virtually nothing to global emissions'. The figures come after Donald Trump slashed US aid spending, with the UK also planning on cutting billions of pounds in funding, with The Independent reporting on the devastating impact for countries most affected by the climate crisis thanks to losing support for food and disaster prevention. 'It's deeply unjust that those who have done the least to contribute to the climate crisis are paying most dearly for it – the UK has a central role to play in righting that injustice,' Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party, said. 'While governments like ours delay, countries like Somalia and Ethiopia, and small island nations - some of the world's poorest countries - are paying the price.' 'The government's recent cuts to the foreign aid budget are particularly disturbing in this context, with so many across the world relying on essential humanitarian aid as a result of extreme weather caused by the climate crisis,' added Ms Denyer. The study of 53 low-income countries includes 36 small-island developing states in the Caribbean, Pacific and the Atlantic, and 17 countries in the Sahel and the Greater Horn of Africa. Since the year 2000, these countries suffered $395 billion in losses and damages from extreme weather events, $156bn of which can be attributed to the climate crisis. 'Every year, we see more devastation from the worsening effects of climate change,' said Emily Wilkinson, principal research fellow at ODI Global. 'Wealthier nations urgently need to scale up climate finance and also make sure it reaches the right places. For remote or unstable places [facing conflict or other vulnerabilities], such as those featured in the study, getting projects off the ground might be harder, but the benefits will also be more keenly felt by affected populations.' In 2023, the Cop28 climate summit agreed to the creation of the Loss and Damage Fund, which would provide financial support for some destruction caused by climate change. But wealthy, higher polluting countries pledged a total of $768 million to the fund; a fraction of the financial losses that vulnerable countries face, and will continue to face. It was agreed this year that the fund will pay out $250 million of this sum until the end of 2026. To calculate the proportion of losses and damages resulting from climate change, ODI Global's research uses climate mapping studies combined with figures from EM-DAT, the international database covering 26,000 mass disasters worldwide, and United Nations disaster reports. Tropical cyclones – often referred to as hurricanes or typhoons – and flooding have caused the most damage in small island developing states like the Bahamas, which has lost at least $4 billion from climate-attributed events. Scientists believe tropical cyclones are becoming more intense thanks to the climate crisis, due to warmer seas and stronger winds heightening their impact. Meanwhile, rising sea levels from melting ice caps will contribute to increased flooding of low-elevation islands. Severe droughts and deadly flooding have ravaged the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, severely impacting many communities that rely on agriculture. The ODI Global report found that climate change contributed to at least $11.5 billion in losses and damages to livestock and crops in these countries— causing lasting harm to livelihoods and food supplies in agrarian areas, with already high poverty rates. Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia have suffered tens of billions of dollars in losses between them, but Somalia has suffered worst of all. Devastating droughts and subsequent floods have led to $151bn in loss and damages; $75 billion of which ODI Global estimates is attributable to climate change. Somalia's extended droughts have been exacerbated by the climate crisis, researchers have found, contributing to lower rainfall, warmer air temperatures, and higher evapotranspiration – or the combined processes that move water from the Earth's surface into the atmosphere. These droughts in recent years have caused widespread crop failures and livestock losses, plunging many farmers and herders into poverty Nearly half of Somalia's eight million-strong population have also faced food insecurity. As The Independent has reported, Somalia is facing drought and low crop yields once again; but this time, charities are worried that aid cuts will limit their ability to respond to food shortages. Many of the nations included in the ODI Global study have smaller economies, increasing the impact of climate crisis-related losses. On the Caribbean island of Dominica, such damage has cost nearly a tenth (9.25 per cent) of gross domestic product (GDP) each year on average over the last two decades. Haiti, Kenya and Grenada are among the nations already facing substantial losses, more than two per cent of their GDP per year, thanks to climate change. Extreme weather events such as hurricanes can increase that number substantially, given the damge that can do quickly. This means that poorer nations, some of whom are facing further strain from regional conflicts, are disproportionately taking the brunt of climate-related destruction. These effects will only continue to get worse, warn ODI Global's researchers; estimating at least a further $235 billion in these countries from climate-related damages if the planet warms by 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels. According to climate scientists at Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), each of the past 10 years (2015–2024) was one of the 10 warmest years on record. The monthly global average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for 11 months of the year. "The escalating costs from climate change will have a serious toll on economic growth and living standards, and a wider risk of geopolitical stability in some regions,' said Ms Wilkinson, a research fellow at ODI Global. 'Climate change contributing to a poorer, more dangerous, future is bad for everyone but we are not too late to change course.' In the wake of extreme weather events, communities are heavily reliant on aid as people are displaced from their homes and access to food and infrastructure are disrupted. In 2023 alone, the countries in this study received some £7.5 billion in aid from the US and UK, with millions of people relying on life-saving food assistance. But with the total dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and UK cuts threatening access to aid for some 55 million people, this support is drying up; but the consequences of climate change are worsening. In Ethiopia, food shortages in the Northern region have led to starvation. But a funding gap of $222 million has already forced the World Food Program to suspend malnutrition treatment for 650,000 women and children. Just this week, the government refused to reconsider its cuts to aid spending, and could not commit to funding for nutrition, the International Development Committee reported. A spokesperson for the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'Demands for action from the world's most vulnerable and the requirements for delivering security for British citizens are fundamentally aligned. 'That is why we are supporting those who are experiencing the worst impacts of the climate crisis and working together with partners to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement." This article was produced as part of The Independent's Rethinking Global Aid project
RTHK
23-05-2025
- Climate
- RTHK
UAE tops 50C in highest May temperature on record
UAE tops 50C in highest May temperature on record The record high temperature of 50.4°C beat the 50.2°C seen in 2009. Photo: AFP The United Arab Emirates registered a sizzling 50.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, the highest on record for May, following weeks of sweltering temperatures in the desert nation acutely vulnerable to climate change. Worshippers at Friday prayers reported feeling faint and some residents appeared unsteady on their feet, even in a country that is accustomed to extreme temperatures. The highest temperature was recorded in an area of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the oil-rich Gulf state that lies in one of the world's hottest regions. "The weather was extremely hot today, unbearably so," said one 26-year-old Abu Dhabi resident, who said he arrived at the mosque late and had to pray outside. "I was drenched in sweat by the end of the prayers," he said, preferring not to give his name, adding that he felt like he was "about to faint." The high temperature of 50.4°C (122.7 Fahrenheit) is the hottest in May since records began in 2003, outstripping the 50.2°C seen in 2009, said the National Centre of Meteorology. The UAE, one of the world's biggest oil exporters and host of the Cop28 climate talks in 2023, has just emerged from a record-breaking April with an average daily high of 42.6 degrees Celsius. (AFP)
RTHK
23-05-2025
- Climate
- RTHK
UAE tops 50C in highest May temperature on record
UAE tops 50C in highest May temperature on record The record high temperature of 50.4°C beat the 50.2°C seen in 2009. Photo: AFP The United Arab Emirates registered a sizzling 50.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, the highest on record for May, following weeks of sweltering temperatures in the desert nation acutely vulnerable to climate change. Worshippers at Friday prayers reported feeling faint and some residents appeared unsteady on their feet, even in a country that is accustomed to extreme temperatures. The highest temperature was recorded in an area of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the oil-rich Gulf state that lies in one of the world's hottest regions. "The weather was extremely hot today, unbearably so," said one 26-year-old Abu Dhabi resident, who said he arrived at the mosque late and had to pray outside. "I was drenched in sweat by the end of the prayers," he said, preferring not to give his name, adding that he felt like he was "about to faint." The high temperature of 50.4°C (122.7 Fahrenheit) is the hottest in May since records began in 2003, outstripping the 50.2°C seen in 2009, said the National Centre of Meteorology. The UAE, one of the world's biggest oil exporters and host of the Cop28 climate talks in 2023, has just emerged from a record-breaking April with an average daily high of 42.6 degrees Celsius. (AFP)
The National
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Order of Zayed recipients
Sheikh Mohamed awards Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, with the Order of Zayed for the successful hosting of 2023's Cop28. Photo: Wam
Daily Maverick
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Three ways Pope Francis influenced the global climate movement
At the centre of the social and ecological polycrisis is a religious crisis of the human heart. The death of Pope Francis has been announced by the Vatican. I first met the late Pope Francis at the Vatican after a conference called Saving Our Common Home and the Future of Life on Earth in July 2018. My colleagues and I sensed something momentous was happening at the heart of the church. At that time, I was helping to set up the new Laudato Si' research institute at the Jesuit Hall at the University of Oxford. This institute is named after the pope's 2015 encyclical (a letter to bishops outlining church policy) on climate change. Its mission is rooted in the pope's religiously inspired vision of integral ecology – a multidisciplinary approach that addresses social and ecological issues of equality and climate breakdown. Originating from Argentina, Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, witnessed firsthand the destruction of the Amazon and the plight of South America's poorest communities. His concern for justice for vulnerable communities and protection of the planet go hand in hand with his religious leadership. In his first papal letter, Laudato Si', he called for all people, not just Catholics, to pay more attention to the frailty of both our planet and its people. What we need is no less than a cultural revolution, he wrote. As a theologian, I recognise that he inspired significant change in three key ways. 1. At global climate summits It's no coincidence that Pope Francis released Laudato Si' at a crucial moment in 2015 prior to the UN climate summit, Cop21, in Paris. A follow-up exhortation, or official statement, Laudate Deum, was released in October 2023, just before another UN climate summit, Cop28 in Dubai. Did the decisions at these global meetings shift because of the influence of Pope Francis? Potentially, yes. In Laudate Deum, Pope Francis showed both encouragement and some frustration about the achievements of international agreements so far. He berated the weakness of international politics and believes that Cop21 represented a 'significant moment' because the agreement involved everyone. After Cop21, he pointed out how most nations had failed to implement the Paris agreement which called for limiting the global temperature rise in this century to below 2°C. He also called out the lack of monitoring of those commitments and subsequent political inertia. He tried his best to use his prominent position to hold power to account. Promoting a general moral awareness of the need to act in ecologically responsible ways, both in international politics and at the local level is something that previous popes, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI also did. But, Pope Francis's efforts went beyond that, by connecting much more broadly with grassroots movements. 2. By advocating for Indigenous people Cop28 marked the first time that close to 200 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. Pope Francis's interventions potentially helped shift the needle just a little in the desired direction. His emphasis on listening to Indigenous people may have influenced these gatherings. Compared with previous global climate summits, Cop28 arguably opened up the opportunity to listen to the voices of Indigenous people. However, Indigenous people were still disappointed by the outcomes of Cop28. Pope Francis's lesser-known exhortation Querida Amazonia, which means 'beloved Amazonia', was published in February 2020. This exhortation resulted from his conversations with Amazonian communities and helped put Indigenous perspectives on the map. Those perspectives helped shape Catholic social teaching in the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, which means 'all brothers and sisters', published on October 3 2020. For many people living in developing countries where extractive industries such as oil and gas or mining are rife, destruction of land coincides with direct threats to life. Pope Francis advocated for Indigenous environmental defenders, many of whom have been inspired to act by their strong faith. For example, Father Marcelo Pérez, an Indigenous priest living in Mexico, was murdered by drug dealers just after saying mass on October 23 2023 as part of the cost of defending the rights of his people and their land. While 196 environmental defenders were killed globally in 2023, Pope Francis continued to advocate on behalf of the most marginalised people as well as the environment. 3. By inspiring activism I've been speaking to religious climate activists from different church backgrounds in the UK as part of a multidisciplinary research project on religion, theology and climate change based at the University of Manchester. Most notably, when we asked more than 300 activists representing six different activist groups who most influenced them to get involved in climate action, 61% named Pope Francis as a key influencer. On a larger scale, Laudato Si' gave rise to the Laudato Si' movement which coordinates climate activism across the globe. It has 900 Catholic organisations as well as 10,000 of what are known as Laudato Si' 'animators', who are all ambassadors and leaders in their respective communities. Our institute's ecclesial affiliate, Tomás Insua, based in Assisi, Italy, originally helped pioneer this global Laudato Si' movement. We host a number of ecumenical gatherings which bring together people from different denominations and hopefully motivate churchgoers to think and act in a more climate-conscious way. Nobody knows who the next pope might be. Given the current turmoil in politics and shutting down of political will to address the climate emergency, we can only hope they will build on the legacy of Pope Francis and influence political change for the good, from the grassroots frontline right up to the highest global ambitions. DM This story was first published in The Conversation. Celia Deane-Drummond is a Professor of Theology and Director of Laudato Si' Research Institute at Campion Hall, University of Oxford.
