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Scoop
3 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
World Health Assembly: Health Community Hails Adoption Of Climate & Health Action Plan, But Slams Fossil Fuel Omissions
Geneva, 27 May 2025 The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) today welcomed the adoption by the World Health Organization's 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) of the Global Action Plan (GAP), which will take forward last year's Resolution on Climate Change and Health, while criticising the removal of mention of fossil fuel subsidies from the text. 'We welcome the adoption of the Global Action Plan as a crucial tool for protecting human life from the impacts of climate change', said Rosie Tasker, Clean Air Liaison at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, which is made up of more than 200 organisations addressing climate change. 'This important milestone was only made possible by significant efforts by the co-facilitators and regional leaders from governments, supported by the health community'. 'However, the absence of any mention of the impacts of fossil fuels or the need for fossil fuel subsidy reform misses a key opportunity to emphasise these connections in the minds and policies of governments around the world', added Tasker. 'Crucially, its adoption marks the start of a new phase where governments and WHO are committing to accelerated action on climate and health.' Key strengths of the Global Action Plan include a call for member states to integrate health into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs - countries' national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement) and integrate climate into national health strategies, policies and plans; a strong focus on maximising the health co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation activities across different government sectors; and a commitment to engage communities and civil society organisations in the development, implementation and evaluation of climate and health strategies. However, the plan's path to adoption was made difficult by a number of member states calling for postponement, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Russia, Bahrain, Venezuela, supported by other countries from the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region that have been calling for the plan's postponement. But, over the course of discussions on Monday afternoon, these voices were far outweighed by more than 60 countries who took to the floor to share why it was critical to adopt the global action plan. A small number of high-income countries, including the UK, Germany, Australia and Japan, supported the action plan as a whole, but officially noted their objections to language on Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capacities (CBDR-RC), a concept included in the Paris Agreement, which calls for global solidarity in climate change responses. 'Without action to mitigate climate change through reduction of fossil fuel use, the health impacts of climate change will soon outstrip the capacities of health systems to respond', said Tasker. 'To counter this, governments must make climate a core part of national health strategies, and health a key part of countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs); governments must include a stronger focus on vulnerable groups such as women and children, older adults, LGBTQ, refugee and migrant populations, and people with poor mental health or disabilities.' 'The adoption of the Global Plan of Action means that governments must now recognise and respond to the profound role that climate change and its primary driver, fossil fuels, play in determining health outcomes for people around the world', concluded Tasker. About GCHA The Global Climate and Health Alliance is a consortium of more than 200 health professional and health civil society organisations and networks from around the world addressing climate change. We are united by a shared vision of an equitable, sustainable future, in which the health impacts of climate change are minimised, and the health co-benefits of climate change mitigation are maximised.
RNZ News
05-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
North Island tourism operators 'move beyond competition' with new alliance
More than 60 tourism operators will highlight the North Island's tourism hotspots like Rotorua at an Australian showcase later this year. Photo: 123RF North Island tourism leaders are banding together in a new alliance, in a bid to get more visitor's boots on the ground and into the regions. The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed at the Auckland Airport Tourism Forum in Rotorua, ahead of this week's TRENZ tourism business conference. The partnership involves three airports and 15 regional tourism organisations. Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said regions were already competing against overseas destinations to attract visitors, so this would be a more coordinated approach to promote the North Island as a destination. "The goal behind that is to encourage more visitors to explore more of the North Island, to spread around and to stay longer and increase their spend across our regions, and that's about shifting visitors from perhaps fly-in, fly-out into deeper more rewarding journeys across regions," Tasker said. This partnership - which was the first of its kind for North Island regional tourism organisations - would combine their insights, networks and marketing and use their collective pulling powers to entice more travellers, he said. They would target the Australian, US and Chinese visitors markets. Later this year, more than 60 tourism operators will connect with Australian travel sellers across the ditch at a North Island showcase. Total visitors arrivals had recovered to more than 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the year to December. Auckland Airport had seen an 11 percent increase in overseas visitor arrivals year-on-year to last December, and overall, the airport had recovered to about 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Tasker said they were trying to close that gap and their goal was for the country's total visitor arrivals to be back at pre-Covid levels by the end of summer 2026, he said. Tātaki Auckland Unlimited destination director Annie Dundas said this partnership helped them to strengthen their international presence. "The travel landscape is changing, and we need to be smarter about how we show up overseas to sell our respective regions," she said. "This partnership allows us to be clearer in our proposition, which in turn will make it easier to meet the needs of our travel partners overseas and ultimately future travellers." RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson called the partnership a "bold and necessary step forward". "By working together, we move beyond competition and into collaboration - showcasing the sheer breadth of experiences available in our part of Aotearoa, from coastlines to culture, from wellness to adventure," he said. Auckland Airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said the tourism industry was still in recovery mode and a little bit behind compared to the rest of the world. While she was confident the industry would catch up, she said it was going to take a collaborative approach "The reality is that we're operating in a highly competitive market for airline seat capacity and as a long haul destination we need to make sure that as a tourism sector we're working together to drive traveller demand," she said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
01-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Auckland Airport to get new cargo precinct as fruit and vege freight booms
Cherries were the top summer export item in terms of tonnage. The airport's chief customer officer Scott Tasker said 2888 tonnes of cherries, enough to fill 30 Boeing 747 freighters, were freighted to destinations including China and Vietnam. Summer air freight from Auckland also included 1493 tonnes of capsicums. The airport said capsicum key export destinations were Japan and Australia. 'We saw solid growth at Auckland over summer with an increase in fresh produce, not just avocados but also cherries and blueberries, all being freighted in the belly hold of aircraft,' Tasker said. Blueberries freighted out of Auckland amounted to 935 tonnes, up 36% on the previous summer. Apart from fresh produce, air freight exports included infant formula, biscuits and jam. Auckland Airport said its share of total New Zealand international air cargo was 86%. Auckland Airport's impression of the proposed northern airfield expansion and cargo precinct. Photo / Supplied The new cargo precinct on Manu Tapu Drive will be adjacent to the 250,000sq m airfield expansion. 'Cargo is a core part of the airport eco-system but currently, cargo and freight operators are spread out across the precinct from when it was set up in the late 1960s,' Tasker said. 'To make things more efficient, these operators will be progressively moving into a single cargo precinct. This new precinct will function more like a modern port.' The precinct should also connect with an upgraded roading network. The airport said the project should improve access through the newly built Te Ara Kōrako, as well as improvements to Joseph Hammond Rd, George Bolt Memorial Drive and Manu Tapu Drive. 'This will move truck trips off the main roads to the passenger terminals at Auckland Airport and instead send them directly to the cargo precinct,' the airport said. The project was expected to take some incoming and outgoing cargo off the airport's core roading network and prioritise customer journeys to airport terminals. 'A daily wide-body passenger aircraft across a year can carry around $500 million in high-value freight,' the airport said. 'These contributed to over $2.6 billion in total of exported goods over the summer season.' Air freighter models include this Airbus A300-600ST, nicknamed Beluga, seen here in Kobe City, Japan. Photo / Naoki Maeda,Yomiuri, Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP Auckland Airport said it was New Zealand's third-largest port by cargo value handled, with $26.6b of exports and imports combined last year. Tauranga and Auckland are the country's biggest ports by cargo value handled. The airport on Tuesday released its updated master plan and said a second runway previously signalled to be operational by 2028 would now likely be pushed out by a decade. Forsyth Barr analysts this week said regulatory risk for Auckland Airport had increased with a review of how airports are overseen. The Ministry of Business, Immigration and Employment (MBIE) competition policy team is conducting the review. Forsyth Barr analysts said the airport's 'dual till' model could be at risk. They said the model provided for retail, car parking, and commercial activities to be unregulated, in contrast to regulated aeronautical activities. US duty-free ban looms, global air cargo demand up in March The International Air Transport Association (IATA) this week said total cargo demand was up 4.4% in March compared with a year earlier. 'March cargo volumes were strong,' IATA director general Willie Walsh said. 'It is possible that this is partly a front-loading of demand as some businesses tried to beat the well-telegraphed April 2 tariff announcement by the Trump Administration.' Walsh said uncertainty over tariffs might eventually weigh on trade but, for now, lower fuel costs were a boon for air cargo. IATA said jet fuel prices in March were down 17.3% year-on-year. It said a US ban taking effect today on duty-free imports from China and Hong Kong may have prompted companies and buyers to make purchases in advance to avoid significant import fees. The White House said US President Donald Trump was targeting deceptive shipping practices by Chinese-based shippers. The White House said many of those shippers were hiding 'illicit substances, including synthetic opioids, in low-value packages' to exploit the duty-free exemption.
Daily Record
27-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Plea for medical notes to include patients' job history amid fears over workplace toxins
Safety campaigners are calling for people's employment to be included on medical notes to make it easier for doctors to identify work-related illnesses . Ian Tasker of Scottish Hazards said the plan could help when it comes to diagnosing diseases linked to heavy industries including cancers, mesothelioma or lung damage. Campaigners also hope it could allow medics to identify patterns of disease associated with specific workplaces. Scottish Hazards, a charity which campaigns on the prevention of work-related illness and injury, will speak to delegates about their proposals this week at the Scottish Trades Union Congress. Charity boss Tasker said: 'There is an association between bladder cancer and tyre manufacturing, as well as of course mesothelioma from asbestos and cancers linked to welding fumes. 'These are just a few examples but we feel that if doctors had access to people's employment history and could see they worked somewhere they could have been exposed to dangerous toxins they may be able to diagnose potentially fatal diseases quicker. 'It also might allow them to see if people who worked at the same place all started developing the same conditions or symptoms .' According to the British Occupational Hygiene Society a quarter of Scottish lung cancers are 'likely associated with workplace exposures' and it predicts more than 300 Scottish construction workers will die as a result of exposure to hazardous dust from working with bricks and mortar. Tasker said: 'Often these types of diseases don't develop until years after the person has stopped working and it would just make it easier for everyone to have a record of where people worked so any potential exposure to chemicals could be traced. 'There are also toxins that people are working with now that may cause damage in future, that we don't even know about. So it's important to have a record. 'We want to see the Scottish Government taking action to reduce the amount of toxins in our workplaces and communities overall but also help those who have been exposed to get a quick diagnosis.' A Scottish Government spokesman said: "It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff and they must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this. The Scottish Government promotes health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace through its Fair Work approach. 'The Scottish Government funds the NHS in a range of initiatives to support people with health conditions to enter, remain and progress in work. "These include Working Health Services Scotland and Public Health Scotland's Healthy Working Lives website, which provides advice and support on work related physical and mental health promotion, ill health prevention, return to work practices and workplace safety for employers.'
Scoop
23-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Auckland Airport Flies Into List Of Global Airports Ranking
Press Release – Auckland Airport Auckland Airport has landed amongst the highest-ranking airports around the world in this years SKYTRAX 2025 Airport Awards for 10-20 million annual passengers, coming in at #4 out of the top 10 list. Auckland Airports enters the SKYTRAX top 10 list this year, ranking #4 for the Best Airports with 10-20 annual million passengers Also ranked #46 for customer satisfaction across all airports globally Maintained position at #3 for Best Airports in Australia / Pacific The Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport Hotel ranked #3 for Best Airport Hotel in Australia/Pacific. Auckland Airport has landed amongst the highest-ranking airports around the world in this year's SKYTRAX 2025 Airport Awards for 10-20 million annual passengers, coming in at #4 out of the top 10 list. The independent SKYTRAX survey ranks global international airports for customer satisfaction including traveller experiences from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate. Auckland Airport also ranked #46 for customer satisfaction across all airports globally. In the Australia/Pacific category Auckland Airport maintained its #3 ranking, and the Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport Hotel ranked #3 for Best Airport Hotel in Australia/Pacific. This hotel is a joint venture with Tainui Group Holdings and opened in December 2023. Scott Tasker, Chief Customer Officer of Auckland Airport, said the SKYTRAX ranking in the World Airport Awards is 'an awesome accolade for everyone working in our airport ecosystem – the Auckland Airport team, government border agencies, ground handlers, airlines, retail staff and the hundreds of other companies that help support the system to run smoothly'. 'We're committed to creating an airport that Kiwis are proud of and we're heartened travellers have recognised the value of the changes we're delivering,' said Mr Tasker. 'This news comes on top of research findings in 2024 from global insights firm Ipsos that shows 80% of New Zealanders think airports are the best-performing infrastructure in the country.' Auckland Airport's runway is the hardest working in New Zealand, supporting over 400 flight movements per day. Each year there's $35.1 billion of economic output from international and domestic travel and tourism generated by Auckland Airport aviation connections, and $26 billion in annual trade flowing through the airport. 'Our infrastructure programme is progressing quickly and the improvements are really starting to make a difference to customers. We've opened the Transport Hub at the front entrance to the international terminal and we've been upgrading wayfinding signage to make it clear to customers where to go. 'MPI have also enabled an express lane at the international terminal, which has helped create efficient processing while maintaining border security. This, along with the uptake in the New Zealand Traveller Declaration has allowed a smoother arrival for customers coming in from international destinations. Aviation Security have been rolling out CT scanners across both terminals, meaning travellers can leave laptops and items in their carry on at the security checkpoint, which has meant shorter queues for customers. 'We've also been making improvements at the domestic terminal while we're building the new integrated terminal. This has included modernised bathroom facilities, new flooring, updated dwell spaces and plenty of seating. he said. Skytrax is a United Kingdom–based research consultancy headquartered in London that runs an airline and airport review website as well as taking surveys from international travellers to rate airports, airlines, airline lounges, in-flight entertainment, on-board catering, and several other elements of air travel. Singapore's Changi Airport was #1 airport in the world for the 13th time, followed by Doha Hamad.
