The Clim8
12.06.20-12.12.20
The UN, UK and France host virtual Climate Ambition Summit 2020 (Politico)
On Saturday—the five-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement (Dec. 12, 2015)—world leaders from 76 countries and the European Union pledged new commitments to more ambitious emissions targets and other climate goals.
Climate change and biodiversity loss are causing hunger in mountainous regions (UN News)
Mountainous regions have been affected by climate change impacts such as more landslides and drought. From 2000 to 2017, vulnerability to food insecurity in these regions increased by nearly 107 million people, according to a joint study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The European Union commits to bigger emissions cuts (BBC News)
The EU, made up of 27 member states, will cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 55% by 2030. The EU is one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, behind China and the United States. Previously, the EU pledged to cut its emissions by 40%.
UN releases its Emissions Gap Report 2020 (UN Environment Programme)
Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused a short decrease in CO2 emissions, this years Emissions Gap Report finds that the expected global temperature rise is well above of that stated in the Paris Agreement. To learn more, click here or download the full UN report here.
Environmental concerns impact Exxon (The New York Times)
As energy demand from large oil suppliers reduces due to environmental awareness, large oil companies such as Exxon are put under increasing pressure from investors and the changing political climate in regard to climate change.
Satellite Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich sends first measurements (NASA)
The success of a US-European satellite in recording global sea level measurements has allowed researchers to begin examining the causes of rising sea levels.
An overview of the impacts of climate change this year (The New Yorker)
A year of record deforestation, gas emissions, wildfires and tropical storms is looking to be one of the hottest years on record. The race towards renewable energy, capping the temperature rise and stopping the spread of tropical zones has begun, and the youth are at the forefront of the movement.
European birds breeding further and further North, facing habit deterioration (Wired)
Birds unprotected by the European Union’s “Bird Directive," including many species of farmland and migratory birds, are suffering major population losses. Experts fear mass extinctions should these trends continue.