Current:Home > MarketsHere's what happened today at the U.N.'s COP27 climate negotiations-LoTradeCoin
Here's what happened today at the U.N.'s COP27 climate negotiations
View Date:2024-12-24 21:12:54
International climate negotiations got underway today with dire warnings about climate-driven disasters, pleas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a plan for a new global weather early warning system.
The United Nations, which organizes annual climate negotiations, says about 44,000 people are attending this year's meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. That includes leaders from hundreds of nations. They have two weeks to discuss how to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions, and pay for the costs of climate change.
Here's what happened today.
The U.N. Secretary-General warned that we're on a "highway to climate hell"
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not mince words in his opening remarks. "We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator," he warned.
He also referenced the fact that the global population is expected to officially hit 8 billion people during this climate meeting. "How will we answer when baby 8-billion is old enough to ask 'What did you do for our world, and for our planet, when you had the chance?'" Guterres asked a room full of world leaders.
There's a plan for a new early warning system for weather disasters
There's a new United Nations plan to warn people around the world about climate-related hazards like extreme storms and floods. It's called Early Warning for All.
About half the world isn't covered by multi-hazard early warning systems, which collect data about disaster risk, monitor and forecast hazardous weather, and send out emergency alerts, according to the U.N.
Coverage is worst in developing countries, which have been hit hardest by the effects of global warming.
The new plan calls for $3.1 billion to set up early-warning systems over the next five years in places that don't already have them, beginning with the poorest and most vulnerable countries and regions. More money will be needed to maintain the warning systems longer-term.
Wealthy countries and corporations were called out for not paying their fair share
Multiple world leaders voiced their frustration that wealthy countries, including the United States, are not paying enough for the costs of climate change. At these talks, developing countries are pushing for compensation for the damages from extreme storms and rising seas, what's known as "loss and damage."
The U.S. is the country most responsible for current global warming because of past greenhouse gas emissions.
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, went one step further in her opening speech to fellow leaders. She called out corporations that profit in our fossil-fuel intensive economy, including oil and gas companies themselves.
Those corporations should help pay for the costs associated with sea level rise, stronger hurricanes, heat waves and droughts around the world, she argued, and especially in places like her nation that are extremely vulnerable to climate change and don't have the money to protect themselves.
There was a dance performance about climate change
The performance at the end of a multi-hour session with world leaders was about 3 minutes long and told the story of global warming.
Watch it for yourself here.
U.S. offers data to help communities prepare for climate risk
The U.S. government is working with AT&T, a telecommunications company, to provide free access to data about the country's future climate risks. The idea is to help community leaders better understand and prepare for local dangers from more extreme weather.
The Climate Risk and Resilience Portal will initially provide information about temperature, precipitation, wind and drought conditions. Additional risks such as wildfire and flooding will be added in the coming months.
"We want other organizations and communities to see where they're potentially vulnerable to climate change and take steps to become resilient," Charlene Lake, AT&T's chief sustainability officer, said in a news release.
World leaders promise to save forests
More than two dozen countries say they'll work together to stop and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030 in order to fight climate change.
Chaired by the United States and Ghana, the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership includes 26 countries and the European Union, which together account for more than one-third of the world's forests.
More than 140 countries agreed at COP26 last year in Glasgow to conserve forests and other ecosystems. However, the U.N. said on Monday that not enough money is being spent to preserve forests, which capture and store carbon.
To encourage accountability, the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership says it will hold annual meetings and publish progress reports.
veryGood! (2374)
Related
- Trump's election has women swearing off sex with men. It's called the 4B movement.
- Search resumes for woman who went into frozen Alaska river to save her dog
- Pregnant Texas teen Savanah Nicole Soto and boyfriend found dead, family says
- Nikki Haley has bet her 2024 bid on South Carolina. But much of her home state leans toward Trump
- Get Your Home Holiday-Ready & Decluttered With These Storage Solutions Starting at $14
- Taylor Swift spends Christmas Day cheering for Travis Kelce at Chiefs game
- Nikki Haley has bet her 2024 bid on South Carolina. But much of her home state leans toward Trump
- Almcoin Analyzes the Prospects of Centralized Exchanges
- See Chris Evans' Wife Alba Baptista Show Her Sweet Support at Red One Premiere
- Almcoin Trading Center: Trends in Bitcoin Spot ETFs
Ranking
- Tua Tagovailoa tackle: Dolphins QB laughs off taking knee to head vs. Rams on 'MNF'
- Spend Your Gift Cards on These Kate Spade Bags That Start at $48
- Burning Man survived a muddy quagmire. Will the experiment last 30 more years?
- US ambassador thanks Japan for defense upgrade and allowing a Patriot missile sale to US
- 32 things we learned in NFL Week 10: Who will challenge for NFC throne?
- New Mexico delegation wants more time for the public and tribes to comment on proposed power line
- 8 cozy games to check out on Nintendo Switch, from 'Palia' to 'No Man's Sky'
- 'The Color Purple' is the biggest Christmas Day opening since 2009
Recommendation
-
The 10 Best Cashmere Sweaters and Tops That Feel Luxuriously Soft and Are *Most Importantly* Affordable
-
Taylor Swift, 'Barbie' and Beyoncé: The pop culture moments that best defined 2023
-
Houston Texans claim oft-suspended safety Kareem Jackson off waivers
-
Prosecutors oppose Sen. Bob Menendez’s effort to delay May bribery trial until July
-
Surprise bids revive hope for offshore wind in Gulf of Mexico after feds cancel lease sale
-
2 teen girls stabbed at NYC's Grand Central terminal in Christmas Day attack, suspect arrested
-
Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde's Kids Steal the Show While Crashing His ESPN Interview
-
Becky Hill's co-author accuses her of plagiarism in Alex Murdaugh trial book