Paris climate talks: Bishop hails 'historic' day as nearly 200 countries sign deal | Environment Governments have signalled an end to the fossil fuel era, committing for the first time to a universal agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change at crunch United Nations talks in Paris. Speaking outside the conference hall, a jubilant foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, said the agreement involving all nations and trading competitors could give Australia “comfort” to take tougher action to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. After 20 years of fraught meetings, including the past two weeks spent in an exhibition hall on the outskirts of Paris, negotiators from nearly 200 countries signed on to a deal on Saturday evening that set ambitious goals to limit temperature rise and hold governments to account for reaching those targets. After an anxious two-hour wait for the final plenary session to begin, Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, who was chairing the meeting, invited delegates to adopt the agreement.
Walk Free - The Movement to End Modern Slavery Paris climate deal: key points at a glance | Environment Keeping temperature rises below 1.5C Governments have agreed to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels: something that would have seemed unthinkable just a few months ago. There is a scientific rationale for the number. John Schellnhuber, a scientist who advises Germany and the Vatican, says 1.5C marks the point where there is a real danger of serious “tipping points” in the world’s climate. The goal of 1.5C is a big leap below the 2C that nearly 200 countries agreed as a limit six years ago in Copenhagen. But bear in mind we’ve already hit 1C, and recent data shows no sign of a major fall in the global emissions driving the warming. As many of the green groups here in Paris note, the 1.5C aspiration is meaningless if there aren’t measures for hitting it. Pledges to curb emissions Before the conference started, more than 180 countries had submitted pledges to cut or curb their carbon emissions (intended nationally defined contributions, or INDCs, in the UN jargon). Loss and damage
EARTHWORKS Earthworks' Mission Earthworks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while promoting sustainable solutions. Earthworks stands for clean air, water and land, healthy communities, and corporate accountability. We work for solutions that protect both the Earth’s resources and our communities. How We Work We fulfill our mission by working with communities and grassroots groups to reform government policies, improve corporate practices, influence investment decisions and encourage responsible materials sourcing and consumption. We expose the health, environmental, economic, social and cultural impacts of mining and energy extraction through work informed by sound science. The Genesis of Earthworks Earthworks evolved from the work of two organizations: Mineral Policy Center and the Oil & Gas Accountability Project. In 2005, these two organizations joined forces.
In debt, out of luck: why Generation K fell in love with The Hunger Games | Film The brutal, bleak series that has captured the hearts of a generation will come to a brutal, bleak end in November when The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 arrives in cinemas. It is the conclusion of the Hunger Games saga, which has immersed the young in a cleverly realised world of trauma, violence, mayhem and death. For fans of Suzanne Collins’s trilogy about a young girl, Katniss Everdeen, forced to fight for survival in a country ruled by fear and fuelled by televised gladiatorial combat, this is the moment they have been waiting for. Since the first book in the trilogy was published in 2008, Collins’s tale has sold more than 65 million copies in the US alone. “This is a generation who grew up through 9/11, the Madrid bombings, the London bombings and Islamic State terrors. “In previous generations teenagers did not think in this way. Writer and activist Laurie Penny, herself a first-era millennial at the age of 29, agrees. Star Wars (1977) The film that shaped a generation.
See this turtle's miraculous recovery after getting caught in a piece of litter. When it comes to prioritizing environmental concerns, curbing litter isn't exactly at the top of the list. After all, when there are much bigger dangers like harmful emissions, overfishing, and climate change to worry about, how much harm are a few pieces of plastic on the ground really going to do? Just splitting a sixer of Strawberry Crush with my bros. But there's one turtle that would staunchly disagree with that mindset (or, at least he would if he could talk). Meet Peanut. The red-eared slider was found wandering the St. Peanut re-creating the fateful incident. Even after his rescuers snipped the plastic rings off, Peanut's shell was forever deformed into a figure-8, peanut-y shape (hence his name). These impairments made Peanut an easy target for predators, which meant he was unable to be released back into the wild. Today, Peanut has a home and a job with the State of Missouri. Peanut is ready for his close-up. Peanut rockin' out. Now that Peanut's a little older, he's taking it easy.
Climate change policies: it's how you sell it that matters Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull - the secret is in the way the message is received. Photo: Andrew Meares Running underneath the more obvious changes from last month's changeover of prime ministers, is an interesting tutorial on the role of motive in political discourse. That is, how the private views of a given politician colour the way her or his arguments are received by voters. An obvious case-in-point is climate change - within which are the ferociously contested debates about coal, and now somewhat surprisingly, the prospect of an expanded Australian nuclear industry. Release from such Houdini-esque chains will take some doing. A way of looking at this is to imagine a scale of 1 to 10 in which 1 represents climate change denial with no action necessary at all – and 10 represents the most extreme scenario demanding expensive anti-greenhouse changes to the economy. And right away you can see a difference. His key is policy agility.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society No more new cars or furniture, says king as oil slump forces cuts on Saudi Arabia The Saudi government has banned official purchases of cars and furniture and slashed travel budgets and infrastructure spending as it faces its gravest fiscal crisis for years because of low oil prices, according to leaked internal government documents. Secret Saudi policy memos issued by King Salman to the finance minister detail the new economic austerity measures to be implemented across all government ministries. Saudi public finances have been depleted this year by tumbling oil prices to such an extent that the kingdom is expected to run a deficit of at least 20% of GDP in 2015. One letter marked “Highly Confidential and Most Urgent” dated 14-12-1436 (28 September 2015 in the Islamic calendar) gives strict instructions to stop any new projects, end the purchases of any new vehicles, furniture or other equipment, freeze all appointments and promotions, stop compensation payments for property, and halt any new rental agreements.
Navdanya theconversation In the wake of the emissions scandal that has engulfed Volkswagen in the United States and Europe, it’s worth asking: how do Australia’s standards stack up? The awful truth: we’re literally years behind Europe and the US. VW has been caught out for installing devices to game emissions tests in the United States, after an environmental group found discrepancies between on-road emissions of nitrogen oxides and testing conditions. Emissions standards are important to improve air quality and reduce the effects of air pollution. Australia has adopted international standards, which have been developed by the United Nations and referred to as “Euro standards”. All new vehicles manufactured or sold in the country must comply with the standards, which are tested by running the vehicle or engine in a standardised test cycle. The story overseas Euro standards apply to the air pollutants, while separate regulatory emission standards apply to CO2 emissions. Australia needs to catch up
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