At midpoint of SDG implementation, the SDGs are in peril

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the UN summit this week: “Yet today, only 15 per cent of the targets are on track. Many are going in reverse. Instead of leaving no one behind, we risk leaving the SDGs behind.” Cameron Allen, Research Fellow, Monash University and Shirin Malekpour, Associate Professor in Sustainable Development Governance … Continue reading At midpoint of SDG implementation, the SDGs are in peril →

Africa’s climate security needs to be prioritised at COP28

Climate change has been exacerbating tensions across Africa. Maurizio Geri, a former NATO analyst on the Middle East and North Africa, writes on the EURACTIV website that the continent’s climate security ought to be prioritised at COP28 so that the rise of militarism can be countered. West must use COP28 to reverse climate neglect … Continue reading Africa’s climate security needs to be prioritised at COP28 →

“Where is the politician who dares address the growth economy that threatens to devastate our civilization, and call for a response to global heating on the scale that’s needed?”

The Danish journalist Carsten Jensen deplores the political and media world's lack of any real awareness of the climate emergency. He calls to dare to dream of a new world, free from the spiral of growth. Mr. Jensen provided this op-ed on the Le Monde website. Carsten Jensen: 'Where is climate change's Winston Churchill?' … Continue reading “Where is the politician who dares address the growth economy that threatens to devastate our civilization, and call for a response to global heating on the scale that’s needed?” →

“Bangladesh has been quite well in adapting to climate change, but there is still a long way to go with not much time to waste”

Dr Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development and a professor at Independent University in Bangladesh and one of the most vocal and effective experts on adaptation, writes on the Daily Star website of the need to scale up as soon as possible. This is a message not only for … Continue reading “Bangladesh has been quite well in adapting to climate change, but there is still a long way to go with not much time to waste” →

Montana judge’s ruling in the youths’ favour sets a powerful precedent for the role of “green amendments” in climate litigation

A judge last week ruled the young plaintiffs have the right to a clean environment – and experts say this changed the climate litigation landscape. Amber Polk, Assistant Professor of Law at Florida International University discusses the implications of this historic climate lawsuit in an article on The Conversation website. Montana kids win historic … Continue reading Montana judge’s ruling in the youths’ favour sets a powerful precedent for the role of “green amendments” in climate litigation →

‘Gamechanger’: judge rules in favour of young activists in US climate trial

Sixteen young plaintiffs had alleged the Montana state government had violated their right to a healthy environment. Now they have won a rare victory against a US state government for promoting climate-killing fossil fuels. A tsunami of climate-related lawsuits are set to follow. Stuart Braun discusses the victory in an article on the Deutsche Welle … Continue reading ‘Gamechanger’: judge rules in favour of young activists in US climate trial →

Research is still in its early stages on how, precisely, both climate change and environmental degradation relate to violence against children

Simone Datzberger, Jenny Parkes, Lottie Howard-Merrill from UCL and Steven Kator Iorfa from the University of Portsmouth write on The Conversation website about the impact of climate change on violence against children. The explored both direct violence – physical, sexual and emotional – and structural violence; that is, rooted in inequitable and unjust systems and … Continue reading Research is still in its early stages on how, precisely, both climate change and environmental degradation relate to violence against children →

British high court refuses permission to environmental law charity to bring case against Shell over its climate strategy

The environmental law charity, ClientEarth, claims Shell cannot achieve net zero goal with current transition plan. A Reuters news item on the Guardian website discusses how the British high court refused to let it be argued through a lawsuit. ClientEarth loses high court fight with Shell over climate strategy An environmental law charity has … Continue reading British high court refuses permission to environmental law charity to bring case against Shell over its climate strategy →

Australians are champions in using courts to hold governments and companies to account on climate change

Jacqueline Peel, Director, Melbourne Climate Futures at The University of Melbourne writes on The Conversation website about Australia using courts to address climate change. The US tops the climate litigation charts with 1,522 lawsuits filed. Australia comes second with 127. The US figure works out to about 4.6 lawsuits per million people, compared to 4.8 … Continue reading Australians are champions in using courts to hold governments and companies to account on climate change →

The challenges of financing the climate crisis that the upcoming Paris summit is trying to address

Foreign debt cripples countries vulnerable to extreme weather events, hindering climate change resilience. Reforming financial systems could help them combat climate change. Tim Schauenberg, in an article on the Deutsche Welle website, looks into many of the issues that need to be addressed at the upcoming Paris summit. Climate crisis and debt trap: Paris … Continue reading The challenges of financing the climate crisis that the upcoming Paris summit is trying to address →