Tag: Dr. Saleemul Huq’s article
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Now it’s time to start preparing for COP27
As someone who has attended every single climate change conference under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—the Conference of Parties (COP)—one thing I have learnt is that waiting until a COP is held to prepare to get something out of it simply does not work. If a country or a group of…
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An appeal to the UN secretary-general
The current secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio Guiterres, has already established himself as a champion for actions to tackle climate change to all countries and actors, and has recently been quite outspoken in his criticism of the poor outcomes of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), held in Glasgow last month. While there was…
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What did COP26 do to deal with loss and damage?
Going into COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland in November, it was already clear that the most vulnerable developing countries wanted the topic of loss and damage from human-induced climate change to get significant attention in the COP process, as well as outside the COP process. Now, after COP26 is over, we can discuss what was achieved,…
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Who were the true leaders at COP26?
Ever since COP26 ended, we have been bombarded with analyses on how good or bad it was. The COP26 Presidency claimed it was a great success, while the vulnerable developing countries left Glasgow in great dismay over the overturning of their demand for a “Glasgow facility” on “financing loss and damage”. They only got a…
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The next step in climate action is creating a fund for loss and damage
One of the new and very politically sensitive topics being discussed at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, as the summit enters its second and final week of negotiations, is the matter of loss and damage from human-induced climate change. This refers to the adverse impacts that can be attributed…
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Get the ball rolling to implement effective climate action
Over the last few days here in Glasgow, Scotland, over a hundred world leaders have arrived for the leaders’ summit at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to give speeches, hold meetings with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and also have some bilateral meetings among…
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Why should poor nations agree to climate action when the rich have broken so many promises?
Developed countries must agree to pay their share of a deal agreed 12 years ago – or risk a failed Cop26
People in developing countries have been bearing the brunt of climate change for decades. But it has taken wildfires in Greece, flooding in Germany and Belgium and a heatwave and hurricanes in the US for the rich world to really sit up and take notice. The challenge now is ensuring that world leaders listen to what is being said in low-income countries…
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What to look for if you want to follow COP26
The two-week-long 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to begin in Glasgow, Scotland on October 31. This article is for the benefit of both journalists and readers who will be following the climate conference and want to understand what will be happening there over…
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Climate response needs more investment in scientific research
The fact that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—caused by burning fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas, since the beginning of the industrial revolution—has led to the global climate crisis we face today was discovered by scientists over three decades ago, with the formation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC has…
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OPINION: We must all learn how to tackle climate-induced loss and damage
Losses are growing in rich as well as poor countries – and it’s time to have an effective system to deal with them The adverse impacts from human-induced climate change are known as “loss and damage” – and how to tackle this issue has been a politically contentious issue in the United Nations climate negotiations…
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The third era of climate change is upon us
The issue of climate change was first identified by the scientific community three decades ago, through the first assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was agreed upon back in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since then, the issue has grown…
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Combating climate change needs a ‘business-unusual’ approach
As we approach the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—which marks a quarter century of talks on how to tackle the greatest global crisis that humanity has ever faced—we have made some progress, but not nearly enough if we consider the speed of climate change. As…