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Miami Herald
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Panama Puts Focus on Nature's Role in Solving the Climate Crisis
Panama's Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro describes himself as "a retired politician." But after a long political career, including two terms as mayor of Panama City, old habits die hard. When describing his country's economics, Navarro drew on a political adage coined by campaign strategist James Carville. "To paraphrase Carville, it's about nature, stupid," Navarro told Newsweek. Carville's catchphrase was about the central importance of the economy, of course, but Navarro's twist emphasizes that economic activity, in turn, depends on nature. As evidence, Navarro pointed to the Panama Canal, not far from the summit's venue, and the many rivers and streams that feed into it. "From that same watershed comes all of the water to drive the canal that permits safe passage for 6 percent of global commerce," he said. "And this is the backbone of the Panamanian economy." Panama is hosting a four-day Nature Summit this week to highlight those connections between the environment, economy and climate change. The summit takes place in concert with a Global Climate Week in Panama, organized by the United Nations. In November, the 30th annual U.N. conference of the parties (COP30) climate talks will take place in Belem, Brazil. That will be the first U.N. climate talks held in the Amazon, a natural venue to highlight nature-based solutions to climate change, and Navarro said the Panamanian summit is meant to set the stage. "We're holding the nature summit precisely to be able to come up with ideas that can be used as input in the upcoming COP30 in Belem," Navarro said. The summit brought together leaders from businesses, governments, philanthropies and indigenous communities to come up with specific ways to support and pay for conservation programs that help to capture carbon. Oceans, forests and other ecosystems draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making nature conservation a vital part of meeting international climate targets. But the connection between climate change and nature works in the other direction as well. Climate change stresses ecosystems in ways that threaten wildlife and the wide range of services we depend on from nature, including fisheries, forest products and clean water. In his remarks Tuesday at the Nature Summit, U.N. Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell linked climate change to the prolonged drought affecting the Panama Canal. "Climate change has already driven water levels lower, slowing shipping and disrupting trade routes," Stiell said. "The same droughts that plague the canal are affecting essential commodities worldwide, reducing harvests, emptying shelves, and pushing families into hunger." Two reports just out this week show the profound threat climate change poses to natural systems and the urgent need to conserve them. - want to make sure you're OK with that. A study published Tuesday in the journal BioScience found that more than 3,500 animal species are threatened by impacts from climate change. Until recently, the study's authors said, the main causes of biodiversity loss have been habitat loss and overexploitation by people. "But as climate change intensifies, we expect it to become a third major threat to the Earth's animals," lead author William Ripple, a professor of ecology at Oregon State University, wrote. "Rapid and effective climate mitigation is crucial now more than ever for saving the world's biodiversity." A report released on Wednesday by researchers at the University of Maryland and the nonprofit group World Resources Institute found that the global loss of forests has reached a record high. About 17 million acres of tropical primary forests were lost in 2024, according to the report, nearly double the amount lost in 2023. And the researchers said that for the first time in their records the primary cause of forest loss is not deforestation due to agriculture, but rather, loss from wildfires. Heat and drought due to climate change can make conditions ripe for large and intense wildfires and, in turn, the fires release much of the carbon stored in forests into the atmosphere. "If this trend continues, it could permanently transform critical natural areas and unleash large amounts of carbon - intensifying climate change and fueling even more extreme fires," Peter Potapov, co-director of the Global Land Analysis and Discovery Lab at the University of Maryland, said in a statement. "This is a dangerous feedback loop we cannot afford to trigger further." The report's authors say that in order to meet global goals for forest protection the world must reduce deforestation by 20 percent every year through stronger fire prevention, better enforcement of trade regulations and more funding for forest protection. In an ironic twist for the nature summit, the total area of tropical forests lost last year roughly equals the size of Panama. Environment Minister Navarro said it is critical to ensure that protected areas are actually protected on the ground. "Panama is leading the charge globally to demonstrate that we can turn paper national parks and reserves into real protected areas and national parks," he said, and he described an increase in staffing at parks, better equipment for rangers and new technology to detect forest encroachment or poaching. "We're getting it done, we get it, and now we're helping to lead efforts globally in this same direction." 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Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Panama Puts Focus on Nature's Role in Solving the Climate Crisis
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Panama's Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro describes himself as "a retired politician." But after a long political career, including two terms as mayor of Panama City, old habits die hard. When describing his country's economics, Navarro drew on a political adage coined by campaign strategist James Carville. "To paraphrase Carville, it's about nature, stupid," Navarro told Newsweek. Carville's catchphrase was about the central importance of the economy, of course, but Navarro's twist emphasizes that economic activity, in turn, depends on nature. As evidence, Navarro pointed to the Panama Canal, not far from the summit's venue, and the many rivers and streams that feed into it. View of an over 400-year-old tree in Barro Colorado Island, in the artificial Gatun Lake of the Panama Canal. View of an over 400-year-old tree in Barro Colorado Island, in the artificial Gatun Lake of the Panama Canal. Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images "From that same watershed comes all of the water to drive the canal that permits safe passage for 6 percent of global commerce," he said. "And this is the backbone of the Panamanian economy." Panama is hosting a four-day Nature Summit this week to highlight those connections between the environment, economy and climate change. The summit takes place in concert with a Global Climate Week in Panama, organized by the United Nations. In November, the 30th annual U.N. conference of the parties (COP30) climate talks will take place in Belem, Brazil. That will be the first U.N. climate talks held in the Amazon, a natural venue to highlight nature-based solutions to climate change, and Navarro said the Panamanian summit is meant to set the stage. "We're holding the nature summit precisely to be able to come up with ideas that can be used as input in the upcoming COP30 in Belem," Navarro said. The summit brought together leaders from businesses, governments, philanthropies and indigenous communities to come up with specific ways to support and pay for conservation programs that help to capture carbon. Oceans, forests and other ecosystems draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making nature conservation a vital part of meeting international climate targets. But the connection between climate change and nature works in the other direction as well. Climate change stresses ecosystems in ways that threaten wildlife and the wide range of services we depend on from nature, including fisheries, forest products and clean water. In his remarks Tuesday at the Nature Summit, U.N. Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell linked climate change to the prolonged drought affecting the Panama Canal. "Climate change has already driven water levels lower, slowing shipping and disrupting trade routes," Stiell said. "The same droughts that plague the canal are affecting essential commodities worldwide, reducing harvests, emptying shelves, and pushing families into hunger." Two reports just out this week show the profound threat climate change poses to natural systems and the urgent need to conserve them. - want to make sure you're OK with that. A study published Tuesday in the journal BioScience found that more than 3,500 animal species are threatened by impacts from climate change. Until recently, the study's authors said, the main causes of biodiversity loss have been habitat loss and overexploitation by people. "But as climate change intensifies, we expect it to become a third major threat to the Earth's animals," lead author William Ripple, a professor of ecology at Oregon State University, wrote. "Rapid and effective climate mitigation is crucial now more than ever for saving the world's biodiversity." A report released on Wednesday by researchers at the University of Maryland and the nonprofit group World Resources Institute found that the global loss of forests has reached a record high. About 17 million acres of tropical primary forests were lost in 2024, according to the report, nearly double the amount lost in 2023. And the researchers said that for the first time in their records the primary cause of forest loss is not deforestation due to agriculture, but rather, loss from wildfires. Heat and drought due to climate change can make conditions ripe for large and intense wildfires and, in turn, the fires release much of the carbon stored in forests into the atmosphere. "If this trend continues, it could permanently transform critical natural areas and unleash large amounts of carbon — intensifying climate change and fueling even more extreme fires," Peter Potapov, co-director of the Global Land Analysis and Discovery Lab at the University of Maryland, said in a statement. "This is a dangerous feedback loop we cannot afford to trigger further." The report's authors say that in order to meet global goals for forest protection the world must reduce deforestation by 20 percent every year through stronger fire prevention, better enforcement of trade regulations and more funding for forest protection. In an ironic twist for the nature summit, the total area of tropical forests lost last year roughly equals the size of Panama. Juan Carlos Navarro during his Panamanian presidential campaign in 2014. Now Panama's Environment Minister, Navarro emphasizes the importance of nature to the country's economy and the effort to rein in climate change. Juan Carlos Navarro during his Panamanian presidential campaign in 2014. Now Panama's Environment Minister, Navarro emphasizes the importance of nature to the country's economy and the effort to rein in climate change. Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images Environment Minister Navarro said it is critical to ensure that protected areas are actually protected on the ground. "Panama is leading the charge globally to demonstrate that we can turn paper national parks and reserves into real protected areas and national parks," he said, and he described an increase in staffing at parks, better equipment for rangers and new technology to detect forest encroachment or poaching. "We're getting it done, we get it, and now we're helping to lead efforts globally in this same direction."
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
UN climate chief calls on countries to submit their NDC targets
Clear and strong climate policies are an antidote to economic uncertainty, UN Climate chief Simon Stiell said on Tuesday while calling on countries to submit ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. 'Climate policy can help get trade flowing and economies growing. And prevent wildly destructive climate impacts. Providing signals from governments to markets. To those investors ready to hit the 'go' button on huge investments. That's why a new generation of national climate plans — or NDCs — are utterly essential,' Stiell said at the 2025 Nature Summit in Panama. Most major economies are yet to submit their new NDCs for the 2035 period including EU and China. UAE, US, Brazil, Japan are among those that have submitted updated NDCs. But, President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate deal for the second time in a decade after signing a series of executive actions hours after being sworn in January. China in April announced that it will set out new goals for cuts by 2035 'covering the entire scope of the economy, including all greenhouse gases', ahead of the COP30 summit in November in Brazil. Indian officials in February had said a political decision on submitting an updated NDC is awaited and there is still time to update it. India has said it will also submit a comprehensive climate adaptation plan ahead of COP30. A disappointing outcome on climate finance at the last climate talks at Baku, COP29 has been flagged repeatedly by India. Amid various trade and other geopolitical disruptions, Stiell on Tuesday insisted that climate plans are essentially about growth. 'In the past, climate plans have often focused mainly on cuts — cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and to old-fashioned energy. This new generation of climate plans are really about growth. Growing industries and economies. And building a better future. One where nature is protected, and where people have better opportunities. Done right, these plans can attract a bonanza of benefits. More jobs. More revenue. And a virtuous cycle of increased investment,' he added. 'But, unless it's implemented an NDC is just a piece of paper. That's why political leadership now, is so important. And the political and policy signals from almost all of the world's largest economies are very clear: global decarbonisation is unstoppable and continues to gather pace and scale,' Stiell emphasised. From rapid technological advancements in electric vehicle charging, to breakthroughs in energy storage, all while the costs of wind, solar, and so many more clean technologies keep coming down. 'And it's backed by hard data — more than 90% of new energy last year was renewable. It's clear in the words and deeds of the leaders who get it. Brazil, putting nature at the heart of their climate plan. Germany promising to invest billions in climate action to increase security. China, for the first time, saying it will set a new national climate target that covers every greenhouse gas and sector of the economy,' he said. 'Every country wants to take advantage of a $2 trillion clean energy market. And, while competition is a good thing, now is not the time for zero-sum thinking. We need to work together to ensure that everyone benefits. That new markets open and new trade routes form,' Stiell stressed. Country leaders have largely agreed to cooperate on climate related issues. 'The good news is, we are also hearing loud and clear from heads of state that they remain committed to cooperation on climate. To build on breakthroughs we've seen at every recent COP. Today, here in Panama, we're hosting the first of our new revamped Climate Weeks. More than ever before, this event will focus on connecting words on paper in our process, with making real-world progress,' he said. Trade and economic uncertainty have been dominating headlines over the past months because supply chains are being fractured, Stiell noted. Climate change is affecting essential commodities worldwide. 'Reducing harvests, emptying shelves, and pushing families into hunger. Famine is back, and the role of global heating cannot be ignored. And all of this is happening while volatile fossil fuel prices drive up the cost of living, hitting people's wallets hard. But amid all the change and disruption, there is also good news. At times like these, with talk of tariffs and trade barriers, and of slowing growth, it's important not to miss the signal in all the noise,' Stiell said. All around the world, clean energy projects are in pipelines. Investors have their fingers on the button — waiting to push go on multi-billion-dollar commitments that will make lives better, he added. Over 170 countries have indicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) they were working on their new NDCs with intention of submitting this year, and vast majority before COP. The secretary general is expected to take stock of NDCs for 2035 period in September. China's declaration that its NDC will be covering the entire scope of the economy, including all greenhouse gases is seen to be a positive milestone ahead of COP30 which could help nudge more action from other countries.
The Print
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
Strong climate plans antidote to prevailing economic uncertainty: UN climate change chief
Stiell said that while global supply chains are being fractured, climate chaos will result in even more serious and sustained impacts. Addressing the 2025 Nature Summit in Panama City, he said that at a time when tariffs, trade barriers and slowing growth have been dominating headlines, robust climate policies can help get trade flowing and economies growing. New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) UN climate change chief Simon Stiell on Tuesday said clear and strong climate plans are an antidote to the economic uncertainty gripping the world. 'In the Panama Canal, climate change has already driven water levels lower. Slowing shipping and disrupting trade routes. For the average person, that means costs going up and less money to spend. It also means critical medical supplies delayed for those in desperate need, businesses collapsing and livelihoods vanishing,' he said. But amid all the change and disruption, he said, clean energy projects are in pipelines all around the world. 'Investors have their fingers on the button, waiting to push go on multi-billion-dollar commitments that will make lives better.' Governments just need to give signals to markets and, for that, a new generation of national climate plans or NDCs are utterly essential, he said. Stiell said that unlike in the past, when climate plans often focused mainly on cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and old-fashioned energy, the new generation of climate plans should be about growth and building a better future where nature is protected. 'Done right, these plans can attract a bonanza of benefits. More jobs. More revenue. And a virtuous cycle of increased investment. But unless it's implemented an NDC is just a piece of paper. That's why political leadership now is so important,' he said. He added that political and policy signals from almost all of the world's largest economies are very clear: global decarbonization is unstoppable and continues to gather pace and scale. Countries like Brazil, Germany and China are stepping up with ambitious climate plans. Green technologies are growing fast and becoming cheaper, he said. The UNFCCC executive secretary, however, warned that the world cannot afford a two-speed transition, where some countries race ahead with clean energy and climate resilience and leave others behind. 'We need to work together to ensure that everyone benefits. That new markets open and new trade routes form,' he said. PTI GVS ZMN This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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Business Standard
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
New national climate plans needed for economic growth, says UN's Stiell
National climate plans must be updated to address economic uncertainty and help growth, said Simon Stiell, the UN's climate change executive secretary, at the 2025 Nature Summit in Panama. A 'new generation' of nationally determined contributions (NDCs), as such climate plans are called, is relevant in light of geopolitical shifts and trade wars, he said. As many as 178 of the 195 member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are expected to submit their NDCs in preparation for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30). Stiell said that new climate plans must focus on growth — promoting industries and economies while building a better future that protects nature and provides better opportunities for people. Also Read The Panama Canal is already experiencing the effects of climate change, with lower water levels slowing shipping and disrupting trade routes. For the average person, this translates to rising costs and less disposable income. It also delays critical medical supplies for those in urgent need, leads to business failures, and threatens livelihoods. A drought at the canal is affecting essential commodities worldwide, resulting in reduced harvests, empty supermarket shelves, and increasing hunger among families. This situation is further exacerbated by rising fossil fuel prices, which elevate the cost of living. 'Famine is back, and the role of global warming cannot be ignored,' Stiell said at the summit, which aims to develop practical solutions for the real economy and bridge the gap between technical discussions, stakeholder engagement and real-world implementation. The Panama Canal plays a vital role in global trade by significantly reducing transit times and costs for ships travelling between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. For Indian exports to North and South America, Europe and the Pacific Rim, the canal offers a shorter and more efficient route, leading to lower shipping costs and making Indian goods more competitive in international markets. While global supply chains are being disrupted, the UNFCCC head warned that the impacts of climate chaos could be even more severe and long-lasting. 'Amid discussions of tariffs, trade barriers, and slowing growth, it's important to not overlook the signals in all the noise,' he said. Stiell advocated for climate policy as a means to facilitate trade, stimulate economic growth, and avert disastrous climate impacts. Such policies can send clear signals to governments, markets and investors who are prepared to make significant investments. In the past, climate plans primarily focused on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and relying on traditional energy sources. For instance, India's NDCs include a commitment to generate 50 per cent of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources and to reduce emission intensity by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. NDCs represent a country's commitment to mitigate and adapt to climate change by setting specific targets, policies and measures, contributing to the global goal of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5°C. To navigate challenging times and capitalise on the $2 trillion clean energy market, Stiell called for active stakeholder involvement from various countries and sectors to combat climate change and share its benefits. As more ships transit the canal, carrying the components necessary for a global clean energy economy, Stiell emphasised the need to ensure that their numbers continue to grow and that their cargo reaches every country on Earth.
