“On World Press Freedom Day, we must reaffirm our commitment to defending freedom of expression and protecting journalists worldwide,” said UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay.

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In a rapidly warming world where accurate climate information has never been more crucial and against a “dramatic” surge in online disinformation, climate reporters and news media outlets are facing unprecedented risks, a new report has found.

Released on World Press Freedom Day, the Press and Planet in danger report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) unveiled that at least 749 journalists or news media reporting on environmental issues were targeted with murder, physical violence, detention and arrest, online harassment, or legal attacks in the past 15 years around the world. 305 of these attacks occurred between 2019 and 2023, representing a 42% increase compared to the previous five-year period.

Between 2009 and 2023, at least 24 reporters survived murder attempts while 44 journalists were killed across 15 different countries, predominantly in the Asia Pacific region (30) and in Latin America and the Caribbean (11). Only five murders resulted in convictions, according to information member states provided to UNESCO’s Observatory of Killed Journalists.

At least half of these attacks have been committed by state actors, the report revealed. The latter filed a total of 93 criminal charges, resulting in the imprisonment of 39 journalists, mostly in the Asia Pacific region. Private actors were behind a quarter of all attacks that took place between 2009 and 2023. 

The report also found that at least 194 of the attacks took place at environmental protests, with police and military forces behind 89 of them.

Environmental Reporting Holds the Key to Solve the Climate Crisis

The climate crisis is one of the most pressing challenges humanity faces today.

2023 was the hottest year on record, with global average temperatures 1.47C higher than pre-industrial levels, dangerously close to the Paris Agreement 1.5C threshold. In fact, this is just a continuation of a dangerous trend that shows no sign of slowing down. As the World Meteorological Organization pointed out, each decade since the 1980s has been warmer than the previous one, and the past nine years have been the warmest on record. 

In a rapidly warming world where no country is spared by its impacts, climate reporting has become a key instrument to help raise awareness about the urgency of the crisis, document and give a voice to those most affected by it, and encourage individuals, businesses, and governments to take immediate action to reverse the course before it is too late. 

You might also like: EDITORIAL: Invest in Independent Climate Journalism

The work of environmental journalists and news outlets often intersects and interferes with highly profitable economic activities, criminal groups, and powerful state and private actors, from illegal miners and poachers to powerful multinationals contributing to pollution and emissions. Known for intimidating, harassing, and even physically harming journalists in an attempt to suppress or stifle the truth, these stakeholders frequently represent a direct threat to reporters’ operations. And the numbers confirm this. 

UNESCO found that among the 749 journalists facing attacks in the past 15 years, most of them were covering environmental protests (196), mining (142), land conflicts (115) as well as logging and deforestation (83). 

The UN agency also carried out a consultation of 905 climate reporters, editors, and people covering other roles in media outlets concerned with environmental reporting across 129 countries. It found that men are more subject to all sorts of attacks, with the exception of digital harassment, and that freelance journalists face higher risk compared to full-time employers at media outlets.

70% of all survey respondents said they had been subject to attacks, mostly phycological threats or pressure (85%), followed by online harassment (60%), physical attacks (41%), and legal actions (24.5%).

Commenting on the findings, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay acknowledged the “unacceptably high risks” faced by environmental journalists over their reporting amid a rise in climate-related disinformation online, especially on social media.

“Without reliable scientific information about the ongoing environmental crisis, we can never hope to overcome it… On World Press Freedom Day, we must reaffirm our commitment to defending freedom of expression and protecting journalists worldwide,” she said.

The post Press Freedom Day 2024: Attacks on Environmental Reporters and News Outlets Up 42% in Past 5 Years, Report Finds appeared first on Earth.Org.

Above-average temperatures will continue in May, India’s weather office said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a lack of precipitation in the southern city of Bengaluru exacerbated a dry spell that began more than five months ago. 

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At least nine people have died in India during a record-breaking heatwave that scorched the country in April, with the weather office warning that above-average temperatures will continue throughout the first week of May.

Last month, eastern India recorded their highest minimum and mean temperature (28.2C) since records began in 1901, making April the hottest on record in the region. The eastern states of Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand, registered 18, 16, and 10 heatwave days, respectively. 

Southern parts of the country also registered record temperatures in April, with the average maximum temperature for the month reaching 37.2C, the second-highest on record after 2016. Bengaluru, the capital and largest city of the southern state of Karnataka, broke heat records, too. Aside from registering “appreciably above normal” temperatures – meaning temperatures 3.1-5C above normal for this time of year – for at least 10 days, a lack of precipitation throughout the month exacerbated a dry spell that has been affecting the country since November 2023.

The city of nearly 12 million saw less than 1mm of rain last month – an amount so insignificant that was not even taken into account – making April the city’s driest since 1983. 

According to Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) chief, last month’s heat wasn’t “entirely unexpected.” Speaking with Times of India, Mohapatra said the conditions were partly to blame on El Niño, a weather pattern associated with the unusual warming of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, as well as on an anti-cyclonic circulation in central Bay of Bengal associated with hot and dry conditions in eastern India.

The heatwave is expected to continue well into May.

“Above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country except most parts of northeast India, some parts of northwest and central India and adjoining areas of northeast peninsular India where normal to below normal maximum temperatures are likely,” the IMD said on Wednesday in its monthly outlook for temperatures and rainfall in May, adding that parts of the country, western regions in particular, will likely see the number of heatwave days “above normal by about 5-8 days.” 

In Bangaluru, May 1 went down as the second-hottest May day in history. The maximum recorded temperature of 38.1C – 4C above normal – ranked as the sixth highest maximum temperature in the city.

Rising Trend

Summers in India have been particularly hot in recent years. A record-breaking heatwave that hit the country and neighbouring Pakistan in 2022 was made 30  to 100 times more likely to occur by human-induced climate change. Last year, scorching heat again baked the country for several consecutive months, leading to major crop losses, wildfires, power shortages, and increased coal production to meet soaring energy demands. Already among the world’s most water-stressed countries, last year’s heatwave also led to water shortages and an economic slowdown due to a loss of productivity, as thousands of Indians were unable to work in the extreme heat. Farmers were among the worst-hit as they struggled to rescue wheat crops.

More on the topic: The India Coal Dilemma Amid Record-Breaking Heatwave

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that intense heatwaves will become more frequent and more severe. 

2023 was the hottest year on record, supercharged by the return of El Niño, a weather phenomenon that has pushed temperatures off the charts around the world and that is expected to last well into 2024. As expected, the trend continued in the first few months of the new year, with March 2024 becoming the 10th consecutive month to break records, with temperatures at 1.77C above an estimate of the February average for 1850-1900.

In February 2024, the EU weather service Copernicus recently confirmed that the critical 1.5C global warming threshold set in the Paris Agreement was breached over a twelve-month period for the first time in history, with global temperatures at 1.58C above the 19th century benchmark. While this does not signal a permanent breach of the limit, which scientists say is measured over decades, it sends a clear warning to humanity that we are approaching the point of no return much faster than expected.

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The agreement follows several failed attempts by the seven economic superpowers to set a timeline for a coal phaseout, though some environmental groups have said the deal is “too little, too late.”

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The Group of Seven (G7) reached an agreement to exit coal in the first half of the 2030s, marking a significant first step toward the international pledge made at COP28 last year.

Energy ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US met last weekend in the Italian city of Turin for the first time since the UN climate summit, which ended with an unprecedented deal to “transition away” from fossil fuels and phase out unabated coal power, by far the most polluting fuel.

In an interview with Class CNBC, UK minister for nuclear and renewables Andrew Bowie described the agreement as “historic.”

“To have the G7 nations come around the table and send a signal to the world that we, the advanced economies of the world, are committing to phase out coal by the early 2030s, is quite incredible,” Bowie said.

Previous attempts to provide a concrete timeline for coal phaseout failed. Talks in 2023 ending with a commitment to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and “fully or predominantly” decarbonise the power sector by 2035 that stopped short of endorsing a 2030 deadline that Canada and other countries had campaigned for. The year prior, the seven nations agreed to end fossil fuel subsidies abroad by 2025, recognizing for the first time that such subsidies are, in fact, incompatible with the Paris Agreement 1.5C pathway.  

With the exception of Japan, all G7 countries have a domestic coal phaseout commitment and are committed to net-zero by no longer than 2050. Combined, the seven economic superpowers accounted for 21% of global power sector emissions in 2022. While coal represents a very small proportion of the energy mix of France, Italy, Canada and the UK, Germany, the US, and Japan still rely on the planet-warming fuel for 27%, 19%, and 34% of their total energy, respectively.

In response to the announcement, Tracy Carty from Greenpeace International said the pledge is “too little, too late.”

“If [G7 countries] are serious and aligned with what the science says is needed to keep 1.5° within reach, G7 countries must ditch this dinosaur planet wrecking fuel no later than 2030 – and as the climate emergency demands they can’t just stop at coal: Fossil fuels are destroying people and planet and a commitment to rapidly phase out all fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – is urgently needed,” she said in a statement. 

Fossil fuels are still predominant around the world. Last year, they accounted for over 70% of the global energy supply. Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions hit a record high last year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), which said the rise was partly driven by increased fossil fuel use in drought-stricken regions.

A UN Environmental Programme report published in November 2023 suggests that while major producer countries have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions and take steps to reduce emissions from fossil fuel production, none have made commitments to decrease coal, oil, and gas production in alignment with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Instead, current production plans indicate that governments will generate 110% more fossil fuels at the end of the current century than the amount required to keep on track with the Paris target.

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Speaking at a conference in Germany, Azerbaijan President Aliyev confirmed the country’s plans to increase fossil fuel production in the coming years to meet demand from the European Union and other importing countries.

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Azerbaijan, host of this year’s UN COP29 climate summit, will continue to invest in gas production in order to meet European Union demand for energy in what its president called a “sign of responsibility.”

The remarks were part of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s opening speech on the second second day of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, a yearly international conference co-hosted by the German Foreign Office and the current COP presidency that brings together selected countries to prepare for the UN summit.

Citing an agreement between Azerbaijan and the European Commission, Aliyev said his country will increase its gas production and continue exporting its gas supplies to the EU “for many more years,” as the bloc seeks to break reliance on Russian gas. In 2023, Azerbaijan exported nearly half of its gas supplies to the EU, around 12 billion cubic meter. In December, the country said it was on track to nearly double that amount by 2027. 

“… [W]e largely are investing in increasing our gas production because Europe needs more gas from new sources,” Aliyev said.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), oil and gas account for about 90% of its exports’ revenue and 60% of the government’s budget.

Addressing delegations from almost 40 states, Aliyev said his country is ready to take up responsibility for leading the year’s most important climate talks, set to take place in November in the capital Baku, adding that countries rich in oil and gas like his “should be in the front row of those who address the issues of climate change.”

The appointment of Azerbaijan, a highly fossil fuel-dependent state and the oldest oil-producing region in the world, reignited debates over the role of fossil fuels in the UN summit as it marked the third petrostate in a row to host the talks after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year and Egypt in 2022. Similar to last year’s talks, which were led by the head of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) Sultan Al-Jaber, the COP29 president-designate, ecology minister Mukhtar Babayev, worked at state-owned oil and gas company Socar for more than two decades.

In his speech, Aliyev criticized the media for centering their appointment’s coverage around the country’s reliance on fossil fuels, saying Azerbaijan will use the climate talks to “defend its right … to continue investments and production in fossil fuels.”

“Having oil and gas deposits is not our fault. It’s a gift of God,” he said. “We must be judged not by that but on how we use this resource for the development of the country, for reduction of poverty, unemployment and what is our target with respect to [the] green agenda.”

Azerbaijan’s climate targets, which include a 35% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, increasing to 40% by 2050, fall short of the net zero level the scientific community says is needed to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. 

You might also like: Achieving Net Zero: Where Are We Today?

While the country is working on expanding its solar and wind capacity, which Aliyev said is expected to generate 2,000MW of electricity by 2027 and 5,000MW by 2030, its pledge to increase gas production contradicts the international community’s pledge to “transition away” from fossil fuels made at last year’s COP28 in Dubai.

The post COP29 Host Azerbaijan ‘Will Defend its Right’ to Continue Fossil Fuel Investments and Production at Climate Talks appeared first on Earth.Org.

Extreme heat in Thailand has killed 30 people so far this year, compared to 37 in 2023. Meanwhile, East Africa has been battling torrential rain over the past month, which triggered floods and landslides that claimed more than 200 lives across Kenya and Tanzania.

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Climate change-related extreme weather events are wreaking havoc around the world, killing hundreds and displacing thousands of people.

Extreme Heat

Thailand has been battling with extreme heat for days. The country’s northern and northeastern regions are expected to be the warmest until the end of the month, with the mercury hitting 44C in some areas, the Thai Meteorological Department said. Hail and thunderstorms may strike the two regions in the coming days, it added.

On Thursday, authorities in the capital Bangkok issued an extreme heat warning for the sixth consecutive day as the apparent temperature – a measure of how temperature is perceived by humans when humidity is taken into account – rose to 52C (126F). Local authorities prompted people to stay indoors.

On Monday evening, electricity demand reached a record high of 35,380 megawatts, the eight time the record was broken since February 22, the Bangkok Post reported.

The number of heat-related casualties nationwide has reached 30 so far this year, compared to the 37 heat-related deaths recorded in the country in 2023, according to data by the Thai Health Ministry.

Southeast Asian countries are among those most heavily affected by climate change. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region have been increasing markedly, often leading to the loss of life, homes, and livelihoods and causing severe economic damage.

A report on the state of the climate in Asia published earlier this week by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) found that 47% of all 984,263 climate and natural disaster-related deaths over the past five decades occurred in Asia, with tropical cyclones claiming the highest number of lives. In 2023 alone, Asia saw a total of 79 water hazard-related disasters, which resulted in more than 2,000 fatalities and directly affected 9 million people.

Temperatures in the continent were 0.91C above the 1991-2020 reference period in 2023, the second-highest on record. A historic heatwave swept across the continent in April and May, bringing all-time high temperatures to Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. While a period of intense heat is not uncommon before the rainy season kicks in, the intensity of last year’s heatwave, which shattered all previous records, was unprecedented. 

More on the topic: ‘Sobering’ WMO Report Shows Asia Hit Hardest By Climate Change in 2023

Torrential Rain

Meanwhile, East Africa has been battling heavy rains for the past month. In hard-hit Kenya, floods have killed 10 people this week, bringing the total death toll since last month to 45. According to Reuters, Kenyan President William Ruto deployed the military on Thursday to help with rescue operations. 

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said almost 103,500 people have been affected and 40,265 have been displaced in 21 out of the 47 counties of Kenya as of April 19. The UN body said relief efforts led by national authorities with the support from humanitarian parters are helping to deliver assistance to 20,590 people.

The situation is tragic in neighboring Tanzania, too. Here, the death toll from heavy rains has reached 155, with 236 more injured, according to Kaasim Majaliwa, the country’s prime minister. Reporting to parliament on the situation in the country, Majaliwa said a combination of El Niño-fuelled heavy rains and strong winds resulted in floods and landslides that caused significant damage. He warned that the rains might continue into May, urging people to leave flood-prone areas.

Featured image: qimono/Pixabay

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The Commission reassured it is not weakening its environmental ambitions but is simplifying some sustainability requirements in light of months-long farmers protests.

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The European Union on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to exit a highly disputed international treaty on energy investments that has recently been used by fossil fuel companies to challenge EU governments over green policies. 

Lawmakers also approved weakened green legislation targeted at the agricultural sector, following months of dispute and protests from farmers worried that the sustainability requirements would decrease competitiveness with countries that have less stringent environmental regulations. 

Energy Treaty

With 560 votes in favour and 43 against, MEPs overwhelmingly consented to the EU exiting the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), a multilateral agreement established in 1994 to facilitate trade and investment in the energy sector. Largely unchanged since its adoption, the treaty is now viewed by many as outdated and as favouring investments in fossil fuels that are no longer compatible with the EU’s climate targets under the European Green Deal and the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Speaking in November 2023, Belgian energy minister Tinne van der Straeten said, “We need treaties that serve our people and climate, not the fossil fuel industry.”

In recent years, some European countries have been taken to court under the treaty by fossil fuel companies claiming that these countries’ green legislation is undermining their investments. In 2022, Italy was ordered to pay British oil company Rockhopper €250 million (US$268 million) in compensation for implementing an offshore oil drilling ban. Last year, Jersey-based oil-refining company Klesch Group Holdings Limited sued the EU, Germany, and Denmark for at least €95 million over windfall taxes. 

“In view of the climate crisis, the EU must become a climate-neutral continent as quickly as possible. Finally the fossil dinosaur treaty is no longer standing in the way of consistent climate protection, as we no longer have to fear corporate lawsuits demanding billions of euro in compensation brought before private arbitration tribunals,” said Anna Cavazzini, Rapporteur for the Trade Committee.

The resolution is now in the hands of the European Council, which can adopt it by qualified majority.

Sustainable Agriculture

On Wednesday, the Parliament also approved a series of weakened environmental requirements linked to the disbursement of tens of billions of euros in subsidies for European farmers.

In February, the European Commission announced it would delay a key agricultural policy originally intended to require all farmers to set aside 4% of their land to support biodiversity and promote healthy soil. Aside from exempting all farmers from the requirement, the Commission also said that farmers growing certain environmentally friendly crops on at least 7% of their arable land will be regarded as fulfilling the requirement. These include crops that contribute to nitrogen fixation – such as lentils, peas, and favas – as well as catch crops – quick-growing crops planted between the main crops that maximise land use while preventing soil erosion.

The requirement is part of the bloc’s highly contested €55 billion (US$59.4) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the EU’s oldest and costliest policy that implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. 

Farmers are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of geopolitical tensions and climate change. In particular, back-to-back extreme weather events including droughts, wildfires, and floodings in various European countries have impacted output and revenue, while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 contributed to a spike in energy and input prices and affected trade flows. The price of cereals is currently about 30% lower than pre-invasion, from €80.6 billion (US$87.1 billion) in 2022 to €58.8 billion (US$63.5 billion) in 2023. For months, European farmers have been protesting the new green rules, arguing that they will decrease competitiveness with countries that have less stringent environmental regulations. 

More on the topic: Explainer: Why Are European Farmers Protesting?

The post EU Votes to Leave Controversial Energy Treaty, Approves Watered Down Agricultural Policies appeared first on Earth.Org.

Climate change, overfishing, diseases, and habitat destruction are threatening penguins, charismatic aquatic birds that live primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. To celebrate World Penguin Day 2024, which every year falls on April 25, here are 6 interesting facts about endangered penguin species and the main threats to their survival. 

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6 Facts About Endangered Penguin Species

1. Penguins thrive in varying climates

Penguins’ inability to fly makes it challenging for them to defend themselves from attacks by predators. Thus, their habitats include remote coasts in continental regions, far away from threatening animal hunters, as well as oceans. These aquatic birds are adapted to living at sea, where they can spend months at a time. While they live primarily in the Southern Hemisphere, from South America to New Zealand and Australia, two species – the threatened African and the Galápagos penguin – can be found north of the equator.

2. These flightless birds have evolved to ‘fly’ underwater

Penguins might not be able to fly but they thrive underwater. Contrary to most birds that have hollow, air-filled bones, the strong bodies of this particular species reduce their tendency to float, making them much easier to swim. Their bodies have also evolved in ways that protect them from the freezing cold Antarctic waters. While their thick feathers keep them warm, a gland near the base of their tail provides them with waterproof oil, which they spend hours covering their body with before swimming.

You might also like: 11 of the Most Endangered Species in the Ocean in 2024

3. Apart from being excellent swimmers, penguins are also great walkers

Penguin feet are incredibly strong, allowing them to walk the distance of two marathons on ice to get to their breeding groups. They developed incredible muscles that can keep their body just above freezing temperatures, protecting them from the cold. Penguins’ feet are also precious allies underwater, as they allow them to change direction and brake.

4. Penguins are the second-most threatened bird group in the world

Despite being legally protected from hunting and egg collecting by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nine out of the 18 listed species have been deemed endangered and vulnerable while three are considered near threatened. This makes them one of the world’s most threatened birds, second only to the albatross. Unsurprisingly, some of the most imminent dangers penguins face today are global warming and changing oceanic conditions; most species do not have the rapid adaptation skills to survive climate changes. Aside from sea level rises, direct human activities such as oil spills and other oceanic pollution are all threatening to destroy entire colonies and affect future generations. Furthermore, because of humanity’s unsustainable and irresponsible fishing practices, thousands of seabirds face starvation; overfishing is contributing to the disappearance of most of the fishes that penguins feed on like sardines and anchovies.

5. The African Penguin is among the most endangered penguin species

Mainly found in Southern Namibia and the South West coast of South Africa, the population of African penguins – also called black-footed penguins – has declined by about 70% in three generations, from roughly 82,000 to just about 25,000 individuals. Today, only 2% of the species’ early-20th century population remains. Among the biggest threats to this penguin species are energy production-related activities – such as oil and gas drilling – and mining as well as overfishing and unregulated harvesting of aquatic resources. Organisations such as the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) work tirelessly to help this increasingly vulnerable species survive and educate the local population on ways to improve the state of the environment. 

6 Over 90% of Emperor Penguins could be wiped out by 2100

Climate change-triggered melting of sea ice in Antarctica is taking a heavy toll on emperor penguins and could wipe out entire populations by as early as 2100, new research suggests.

Classified as one of Antarctica’s most vulnerable species, emperor penguins require sea ice attached to solid land between April and January to breed. This makes them extremely vulnerable to rapid sea ice loss in the region, which reached record levels in the spring season of 2022.

According to the study, record low sea ice in 2022 coincided with the first-ever recorded large-scale breeding failure of emperor penguins. Researchers found that, of the five breeding sites in Antarctica, “all but one experienced total breeding failure after sea ice break-up.” They argue that over 90% of the species colonies will be “quasi-extinct” by 2100 if current warming rates continue.

You might also like: How Many Endangered Species Are There?

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Climate change is disproportionately affecting Asia. The continent was hit by a total of 79 water hazard-related disasters in 2023, which resulted in more than 2,000 fatalities and directly affected 9 million people. 

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Climate change is accelerating in Asia, exacerbating the frequency and severity of extreme weather events that profoundly affect societies, economies, and human lives.

This is the grim picture drawn in the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) annual State of the Climate in Asia report published Tuesday. 

“The report’s conclusions are sobering. Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms,” said Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General. 

Scorching Heat

According to the report, temperatures in Asia were 0.91C above the 1991-2020 reference period last year, the second-highest on record. 2023 was also Japan and Kazakhstan’s warmest year.

A historic heatwave swept across the continent in April and May, bringing all-time high temperatures to Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. While a period of intense heat is not uncommon before the rainy season kicks in, the intensity of last year’s heatwave, which shattered all previous records, was unprecedented. China also battled scorching heat over the summer, with the mercury in the capital Beijing surpassing 40C (104F) for weeks and even reaching 52.2C in the northwest province of Xinjiang.

In 2023, a marine heatwave pushed sea surface temperatures in the Arctic Ocean to a record high. According to the report, regions such as the Arabian Sea, the southern Kara Sea, and the southeastern Laptev Sea are witnessing sea surface warming at a rate more than three times faster than the global average.

Natural Disasters

The WMO report found that nearly half of all 984,263 climate and natural disaster-related deaths over the past five decades occurred in Asia, with tropical cyclones claiming the highest number of lives. In 2023 alone, Asia saw a total of 79 water hazard-related disasters, which resulted in more than 2,000 fatalities and directly affected 9 million people.

An analysis by Zurich-based reinsurance company Swiss Re’s published in February revealed that the Philippines and the US pay the highest annual price from climate change-driven extreme weather events in relation to their gross domestic product (GDP). The two countries face annual economic losses of US$12 billion and $97 billion – or 3% and 0.38% of their GDP equivalent – respectively, from the combination of floods, tropical cyclones (hurricanes and typhoons), and severe thunderstorms.

According to the WMO, strong early warning and disaster risk reduction systems are among the climate mitigation strategies the continent needs to save lives and prevent future economic, social, and health crises exacerbated by climate change.

“Early warning and better preparedness saved thousands of lives,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which was also behind the report. 

“A critical gap in the early warning information chain lies in knowledge and understanding of disaster risk. Addressing this gap is fundamental for effective multi-hazard early warning systems and therefore is a key determinant of the implementation of the Global Executive Action Plan on Early Warnings for All in Asia and the Pacific,” she said.

Lower Rainfall, Deadly Floods

Meanwhile, parts of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China experienced below-average precipitation. China’s southwestern provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou suffered a major, prolonged drought amid lower-than-average precipitation nearly every month of the year.

Despite overall lower rainfall rates, parts of Asia witnessed deadly extreme events, over 80% of which were linked to floods and storms, according to the report.

These included floods and storms across India, Pakistan, and Nepal in June and July, which claimed at least 599 lives, and floods triggered by heavy monsoon rainfall in South Korea, which resulted in at least 40 fatalities. In September, Hong Kong was battered by the heaviest hourly rainfall in at least 140 years. While no casualties were reported, the city was brought to a standstill. It came just a week after Super Typhoon Saola paralysed the city, prompting authorities to issue Hurricane Signal No. 10 – the city’s highest storm signal – for the first time since 2018.

Melting Glaciers and Sea Level Rise

Record-breaking temperatures and dry conditions accelerated the melting of 20 out of 22 glaciers in central-south Asia and particularly in the Eastern Himalayas and the Tian Shan. 

A 2023 study found that 68% of the world’s glaciers are set to disappear at the current global warming rate, with at least half of the loss taking place in the next 30 years. The melting of glaciers, ice sheets, and ice caps around the world is contributing to sea level rise, particularly in Asia, where rates were higher than the global mean over the 1993-2023 period. 

More on the topic: Melting Glaciers in Pakistan: A Call to Action for the G20 Summit to Address the Situation

Not Just Asia

The past nine years have been the hottest on record, with 2023 topping the ranking. Last year’s record-breaking temperatures can be partly attributed to the return of El Niño, a weather pattern associated with the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. However, despite scientists confirming the gradual weakening of the pattern in recent weeks, the trend has continued well into the new year, with this past winter as a whole setting new high-temperature marks and March 2024 marking the 10th consecutive hottest month on record, both in terms of air and sea surface temperature. 

The report comes hot on the heels of the publication of the annual State of the Climate in Europe published by WMO in collaboration with the EU’s leading Earth Observation programme Copernicus, which unveiled a similar grim picture of the accelerating climate crisis in the continent.

The post ‘Sobering’ WMO Report Shows Asia Hit Hardest By Climate Change in 2023 appeared first on Earth.Org.

Europe saw a record number of days with “extreme heat stress” and temperatures above average for 11 months in 2023, according to a new study.

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Climate change is in full swing in Europe, according to new data shared on Monday.

Compiled by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the latest European State of the Climate report paints a stark picture of the effects of global warming on the continent. 

Extreme Heat

According to the joint report, 2023 was Europe’s joint warmest or second-warmest year on record, depending on the dataset. The world’s fastest-warming continent saw above-average temperatures for 11 months last year and 7% more precipitation than average. September went down in history as the warmest on record, with temperatures 2.51C higher than the 1991-2020 average and 1.1C higher than the previous warmest September recorded in 2020.

Heatwaves are spreading rapidly across the world, affecting billions of people, with an increasing number of studies pointing at climate change as a driving factor. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with further global warming, we can expect an increase in the intensity, frequency and duration of heatwaves. Extreme heat impacts human health – particularly affecting vulnerable categories including the elderly and infirm, pregnant women, infants, outdoor workers, and athletes. It also compromises water and food resources and threatens both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Europe is no exception when it comes to the consequences of climate change. The continent experienced a record number of “extreme heat stress” days in 2023. C3S and WMO data also suggests that heat-related mortality in the continent, which is warming twice as fast as any other continent, has increased by around 30% in the past two decades, while heat-related deaths are estimated to have increased in 94% of the European regions monitored.

Hot and dry conditions fuelled large wildfires across the region last year, which killed 44 people. Mediterranean regions such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey were particularly affected. Other climate change-related extreme weather events such as storms and floods claimed an additional 99 lives, according to the joint report. Total economic losses for 2023 are estimated at more than €13.4 billion (US$14.3 billion).

Snow was scarce in much of Europe in winter and spring, owing to a milder-than-average winter. The Alps experienced “exceptional” glacier ice loss, losing 10% of their remaining volume between 2022 and 2023.

“The climate crisis is the biggest challenge of our generation. The cost of climate action may seem high, but the cost of inaction is much higher. As this report shows, we need to leverage science to provide solutions for the good of society,” said WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo.

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Warming Oceans

Besides record surface temperatures, European sea surface temperatures also reached their highest levels last year. 

In July, the Atlantic Ocean west of Ireland and around the UK was hit by a marine heatwave classified as “extreme” and even “beyond extreme” in some areas, with temperatures as much as 5C above average. In the same month, the Mediterranean sea’s surface temperature hit its highest median recording since at least 1982 – 28.7C (83.7F). The Mediterranean – one of the world’s most diverse habitats for marine life, home to more than 17,000 species – is warming 20% faster than the global average – adding pressure to already strained ecosystems. A WWF study even suggests that the Mediterranean is becoming the “fastest-warming and the saltiest sea on our planet.”

“In 2023, Europe witnessed the largest wildfire ever recorded, one of the wettest years, severe marine heatwaves and widespread devastating flooding. Temperatures continue to increase, making our data ever more vital in preparing for the impacts of climate change,” said C3S director Carlo Buontempo.

Featured image: Utku Kuran.

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The letter to G20 leaders came ahead of a $11-billion pledge by 11 wealthy nations to fund World Bank efforts to tackle global challenges and boost sustainable development.

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G20 leaders were urged to reform the global financial system and step up efforts to achieve global sustainable development and fight the climate crisis in an open letter published ahead of last week’s Spring meetings of international financial institutions.

In the letter, the 135 signatories, which include actor Stephen Fry, film producer Richard Curtis, and singer Annie Lennox, appealed to the world’s largest economies to “triple their investments in multilateral development banks, end crippling debt for low-income countries, and make polluters pay.

“Global financial institutions like the World Bank and the IMF [International Monetary Fund] can help mobilise the funding needed to tackle the polycrisis and achieve the Global Goals, but they need a reboot. And their shareholders – the G20 leaders – are the ones that can make that happen,” the letter, coordinated by Project Everyone, read.

G20 countries are historically the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 81% of the total share. An August 2023 report also showed that G20 countries alone spent a record $1.4 trillion in fossil fuel subsidies in 2022, more than double the pre-pandemic and pre-energy crisis levels of 2019. The world’s 20 largest economies also provided some $370 billion to the fossil fuel industry through investments by state-owned enterprises and loans from public finance institutions. 

“These figures are a stark reminder of the massive amounts of public money G20 governments continue to pour into fossil fuels – despite the increasingly devastating impacts of climate change,”  said Tara Laan, lead author of the report.

In a speech last week, UN climate chief Simon Stiell called on key finance players – including the World Bank, the IMF as well as the G7 and G20 leadership – to push for a bolder climate finance deal at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, saying it would not only benefit developing countries but also help protect global supply chains all economies depend on. 

Despite poor and vulnerable countries raising their voices for decades to demand financial support to deal with the climate crisis, many believe that wealthy nations are not doing enough, with finance still flowing far from what is needed. The establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund in 2022 and its operationalization, hailed “historic,” at COP28 last year marked a significant step forward in the fight for climate justice. However, contributions to the fund still fall significantly short of what is needed to cover the real needs of developing countries, with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) estimating that developing countries, excluding China, will need climate financing ranging from US$1 trillion annually in 2025 to $2.4 trillion by 2030.

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$11 Billion Pledge

The letter was sent ahead of last week’s annual Spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which brought together UN officials, climate and financial ministers to supercharge global efforts to tackle climate change.

At the end of the meetings on Friday, 11 wealthy nations, including Japan ($1bn), the US, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK, announced contributions totalling US$11 billion to fund the World Bank’s efforts to tackle global challenges such as the climate crisis and pandemics and boost sustainable development. 

The money could be leveraged to result in up to $70 billion over a decade, the bank said, boosting its lending power and thus facilitating addressing cross-border challenges and advancing global development.

“We worked hard to develop these new financial instruments that boost our lending capacity, multiply donor funds, and ultimately allow us to improve the lives of more people,” said Ajay Banga, World Bank Group President. “The generosity of these countries is both an endorsement of the progress we have made to reform the Bank, and a sign of their shared commitment to development globally.”

Last week, the bank also launched the Global Collaborative Co-Financing Platform, a tool to facilitate co-financing among a coalition of ten multilateral development banks (MDBs) while reducing the burden on partner countries. For countries, the new platform will reduce the administrative burden and transaction costs, and enable better coordinated financing in line with their priorities – resulting in greater development impact, the World Bank said in a statement. 

The World Bank also unveiled strategies to support countries in delivering quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030 and to provide electricity from renewables to 250 million Africans by 2030 were also announced.

Featured image: Paul Kagame/Flickr

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