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Boris Johnson confirms that Cop26 went well – and was definitely in Glasgow
Tory benches were sparsely filled as PM addressed the Commons, though Geoffrey Cox was back
Boris Johnson did get one thing right in his Commons statement on Cop26. In the previous day’s press conference he had been adamant it had taken place in Edinburgh. Overnight he had been corrected and was now able to accurately locate the climate change summit as being in Glasgow. It was this kind of attention to detail that had made the conference such an outstanding success. Or at least the prime minister’s rose-tinted version of it.
Even so, the Conservative benches were noticeably less full than the opposition’s. Either most Tory MPs weren’t so convinced that Cop26 had been a triumph or they still haven’t forgiven Boris for making them look like mugs over the Owen Paterson vote. Or maybe they had got wind of the fact that Johnson had what sounded like the beginnings of a nasty cold – his voice was no more than a muted rasp – and didn’t want to take the chance of picking up his germs. Clearly the last two years has taught him nothing about the spread of infectious diseases.
A Farewell to Calm by John Crace (Guardian Faber, £9.99). To support The Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
Continue reading...Ministers accused of ‘dithering’ as trophy hunting law delayed again
‘Animals abroad bill’ aimed at clamping down on trophy hunting and harmful animal experiences pushed back
A law that will clamp down on trophy hunting and prevent people buying harmful animal experiences such as elephant tours meant to be introduced in parliament this autumn been delayed, the Guardian has learned.
The measures should be contained in the animals abroad bill – one of several new pieces of legislation the government has planned to improve animal welfare standards.
Continue reading...What did Cop26 actually achieve? The hope and heartache from Glasgow – video explainer
The Guardian's Damian Carrington explains that in relative terms, the agreements and deals made by the 196 nations nudged the world a little closer towards the path to keeping global temperature rises below 1.5C and avoiding the worst of the climate crisis’s impacts. But in absolute terms, there is still a mountain to climb
- Cop26: the goal of 1.5C of climate heating is alive, but only just
- Cop26: where does the world go from here?
Deforestation can raise local temperatures by up to 4.5℃ – and heat untouched areas 6km away
Climate leaders call for pressure on stubborn nations before Cop27
Deal to reconvene one year after Glasgow gives vital window to compel countries towards less disastrous emissions plans
Bringing countries back to the negotiating table with updated national plans on greenhouse gas emissions will now be the hardest task for the UK and the UN for the next year, say developing countries and climate experts.
The Cop26 summit ended at the weekend with a resolution for governments to revise their targets for next year.
Continue reading...'A bubble of utopia': inside the occupied building that housed activists during Cop26 – video
Activists in Glasgow have filmed a brief look inside the restored disused building in which they housed climate justice campaigners visiting the city for the Cop26 summit that might not have had a safe shelter during the two-week event.
The people staying in Baile Hoose, a former homelessness services unit, said their main concern was the housing crisis in the city. Fox and Skye, the environmentalists who spoke to us, wanted to thank the Green Anticapitalist Front, the Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh and everyone who supported the group during the summit.
A Glasgow city council spokesperson said: 'The former Hamish Allan Centre has been closed for years and the building is not safe for human habitation. There are concerns about fire safety and possible asbestos.
'It was shut down as it did not provide acceptable accommodation at that time and the residents moved to more appropriate properties. The council did not provide access to the building and it’s concerning that people have moved in'
Continue reading...Indigenous peoples had a clear vision for Cop26, but it has not been delivered | Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
World leaders recognise the importance of indigenous rights, but still haven’t committed enough to supporting our fight
Indigenous peoples came to Cop26 in Glasgow with clear goals that we wanted to see reflected in the final results. Now it is over, we don’t see the path forward we were hoping for. There is still too much wrangling between the developed and the developing countries, with the developed nations blocking much-needed agreements on rights and funding. And overall progress towards implementing the commitments made in the Paris agreement is too slow.
We wanted to ensure that the decisions included the need to respect human rights, including indigenous peoples’ rights, in undertaking adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage measures to deal with the immediate effects of the climate crisis.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz is the director of Tebtebba Foundation (Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education) in the Philippines
Continue reading...Euro Markets: Midday Update
ANALYSIS: South Korea faces offset issuance gap after Glasgow, while Japan gets clarity on market plans
Carbon Farming Project Manager, Climate Friendly – Western QLD, Australia
Senior / Carbon Trader, RGE – Singapore
Nations pledge to adjust voluntary units, not use pre-2020 offsets
NZ utility wants new entity to operate and shut down thermal power assets
The planet is on the clock and Australia has an inexplicable position on climate – it really isn’t funny | Katharine Murphy
Morrison government can’t lie to all the people all of the time without devaluing its currency
When it comes to climate policy, it’s never prudent to say we’ve hit peak preposterous, because this is Australia. There are always new depths to plumb.
But we were certainly peak preposterous adjacent on Monday when Scott Morrison and Angus Taylor attempted to explain why Australia had just signed a commitment to look at its 2030 emissions reduction target – but our target wouldn’t be changing because it was both immutable and completely redundant.
Continue reading...China thermal power growth slides in October amid energy consumption curb
Do not despair – the Cop26 agreement contains three major victories | Christiana Figueres
We have to change the entire global economy to combat the climate crisis. We’re not there yet, but we are getting closer
If a bus were hurtling towards a child in the middle of the road, no one nearby would take merely one step to get that child out of the way. They would rush, at speeds previously unbeknownst to them, using every muscle in their body, to get that child to safety.
On the climate crisis, a bus is careering toward us and we have still not flexed all our muscle power to get ourselves or future generations to safety.
Christiana Figueres was head of the UN climate change convention that achieved the Paris agreement in 2015, and is the author of The Future We Choose.
Continue reading...Thousands prepare to evacuate as Wyangala Dam dramatically overflows – video
Thousands of people in the New South Wales central west have been warned to prepare to evacuate as the Lachlan River threatens to flood after heavy rain lashed the state
Continue reading...Greenhouse gases: waste and recycling rates ‘could stop UK net zero goal’
Exclusive: experts tell government without action stagnating recycling rates and waste incineration will impede 2050 target
Rising greenhouse gas emissions from the incineration of waste and stagnating recycling rates will stop the UK reaching net zero by 2050, according to analysis presented to government.
Experts who advise ministers on key areas of infrastructure spending highlight waste and recycling as a key area of concern.
Continue reading...Just 124 people own most of England’s deep peat – its largest carbon store
New report says burning and draining of peatland by grouse moor estates and others adding to climate disaster
Just 124 landowners own the majority of England’s deep peat – its single largest carbon store – new analysis has found.
From the low-lying wetlands of the Fens, to the bogs of the North York Moors, 450,000 hectares (1m acres) of peat soils store 584m tonnes of carbon, according to Natural England, equivalent to the annual emissions from 540 coal-fired power stations in the US.
Continue reading...Here’s something you can’t ignore, says tampon plastics activist
Ella Daish to hand Procter & Gamble giant Tampax applicator, made from 1,200 discarded contributions
A British environmental activist is stepping up her campaign against single-use plastics in period products by calling on the world’s bestselling manufacturer of tampons to make greener alternatives.
Ella Daish, the founder of the #EndPeriodPlastic campaign, will go to the European headquarters of Tampax-maker Procter & Gamble in Geneva on Monday to present executives with a giant tampon applicator, made of 1,200 discarded Tampax applicators found littering British waterways, rivers and beaches.
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