Latest news with #COP16
Muscat Daily
3 days ago
- General
- Muscat Daily
Oman marks global desertification day with push for greener future
Muscat – Oman, represented by the Environment Authority (EA), joined the global community in observing the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked annually on June 17. This year's theme, 'Restore the land. Unlock the opportunities', underscores the vital link between healthy ecosystems and sustainable development. Oman's participation reflects its continued commitment to international efforts aimed at raising awareness about the pressing challenges of desertification and drought. It also reinforces national priorities focused on encouraging sustainable environmental practices, supporting conservation policies, and enhancing global cooperation to protect natural resources. The observance highlights the role of ecosystem restoration in strengthening food and water security, generating employment, enabling climate adaptation, and building resilient, green economies. As part of its broader environmental strategy, the Environment Authority is leading several key initiatives and projects designed to promote sustainability, expand green spaces, and conserve biodiversity across the country. Among the most notable is the national initiative for planting 10mn trees, launched in January 2020, which aims to restore degraded lands and combat desertification through large-scale afforestation. Another major effort is the National Tree Cover Survey Project, which utilises remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and artificial intelligence to establish a comprehensive, accurate database of tree coverage across the sultanate. Oman is also advancing mangrove reforestation projects, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency. This ambitious initiative targets the planting of one million mangrove seedlings to enhance marine biodiversity, increase carbon absorption, and promote ecotourism. Mangrove forests currently span over 1,030 hectares along Oman's coastlines. Additionally, the authority regularly updates the National Plan to Combat Desertification every ten years, in cooperation with the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development. Oman also actively engages in international forums, including the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, where it shares its national experiences and awareness campaigns.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour climate envoy racks up 76,000 air miles in eight months
Ms Kyte racked up expenses for 16 journeys since October, flying business class on 12 occasions and economy class on 11. Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: 'The climate envoy is more like a travel writer travelling around the world to exotic locations.' It comes after David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, was embroiled in a hypocrisy row after his air travel bill rose to £1.2m between October and December last year. In January, Ms Kyte travelled on a return business class flight from London to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to 'unlock private sector investment in renewable energy' through her attendance at the Africa Energy Summit, at a cost of £6,040 to taxpayers. A one-way business class flight that took Ms Kyte from Boston in the US to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the COP16 conference in December cost £5,436. Another one-way business class flight took Ms Kyte from Washington DC to London in April, costing £5,129. A further journey saw Ms Kyte fly business class from London to Hanoi, Vietnam, last month, returning via Jakarta, Indonesia, on tickets that cost £4,559. On the trip she visited Singapore using economy class flights, which together cost £578. In Singapore she spoke at climate events including Ecosperity Week and the GenZero Climate Summit and met with government representatives to 'deepen collaboration on areas such as energy connectivity and carbon markets'. Other destinations on Ms Kyte's itinerary since becoming climate envoy include Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Baku in Azerbaijan, New Dheli and Rome. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'The Special Representative for Climate was appointed specifically to support ministers in driving action on this government's strategic priorities on international climate action and energy policy. Her international diplomacy has supported efforts to unlock more private finance to tackle the climate crisis and taken forward our mission to be a clean energy superpower. All travel has complied with internal travel policies. 'All FCDO travel is undertaken using the most efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Travel plans are decided with consideration of the best use of time and in the interests of the taxpayer.'
Fashion Value Chain
7 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
Chargeurs PCC Targets 46% CO₂ Cut with New ESG Strategy
Global textile leader Chargeurs PCC has announced a bold new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) plan aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions by 46% by 2030. The strategy addresses every aspect of the company's operations—from product design to supplier relationships—positioning Chargeurs PCC as a trailblazer in sustainable transformation within the textile industry. CEO Gianluca Tanzi stated, 'We are committed to leading the industry's shift toward sustainability by innovating responsibly and integrating real, measurable action across the value chain.' Key Highlights of the ESG Plan: Carbon Reduction: 11% emissions cut achieved at its Lainière de Picardie site in 2024. Emission mapping started across the supply chain to reach 46% overall CO₂ reduction by 2030. 'Local for Local' Model: Focus on regional development, sourcing, and production to minimize environmental impact and boost local economies. Sustainable Products: Expanded Sustainable 360 line made from natural, recycled, and bio-based fibers . Innovations include Zero Dye Water interlinings and monomaterial polyester products for better recyclability. Water & Microplastic Management: Site-wide water risk assessments using WRI's Aqueduct tool . Ongoing efforts to reduce chemical use and microplastic release . Biodiversity Commitment: 75% of the Lainière de Picardie site preserved as natural habitat. 2024 saw 1,500 trees planted in Brazil through a partnership with WeForest . Participation in COP16 Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration projects worldwide. Social Responsibility & Transparency: 80% of suppliers SMETA-audited; full audit coverage underway. Use of Transaction Certificates for traceability. Developing an internal Restricted Substances List (RSL) —60% of products and 90% of substances already compliant. With this comprehensive ESG roadmap, Chargeurs PCC strengthens its role as a pioneer in ethical innovation, ensuring a climate-resilient, transparent, and regenerative textile ecosystem.
India Gazette
05-06-2025
- General
- India Gazette
1.36 cr saplings planted in 2024-25 under Cauvery Calling, total plantation soars to 12.2 cr
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 5 (ANI): Envisioned by Spiritual guru, Sadhguru, the Cauvery Calling movement enabled the plantation of 1.36 crore saplings across 34,000 acres in the Cauvery basin during 2024-25. According to a press release by the Isha Foundation, to date, a total of 12.2 crore saplings have been planted, supporting 2.38 lakh farmers in adopting tree-based agriculture. Remarkably, in the last year alone, 50,931 farmers and citizens actively participated in this large-scale ecological effort. Cauvery Calling is the world's largest farmer-driven ecological initiative and a groundbreaking eco-restoration effort with the potential to transform tropical regions. Named Top Innovator by the Trillion Trees: India Challenge, the movement aims to rejuvenate the Cauvery River--lifeline to 8.4 crore people--while enhancing farmers' incomes by enabling the plantation of 242 crore trees on private farmland. It promotes tree-based agriculture that helps enrich soil health and improve water retention, in turn helping sustain the river's year-round flow, as per the press release. Sadhguru had earlier shared, 'Cauvery Calling will demonstrate to the world that it is possible to change the terrain of degraded Land by taking planned & strategised Action. Everyone who is nourished by Soil & Water must be a part of this Movement. Let Us Make It Happen.' Reflecting on the achievement, Anand Ethirajalu, Project Director of Cauvery Calling and representative of the Save Soil movement, emphasised the urgency of soil regeneration- one of the key objectives of the movement. As per the press release, he said, 'One of the key topics that we were campaigning during this COP29 summit of UNFCCC and COP16 of UNCCD is that less than 4 per cent of the global climate finance is actually reaching agriculture and food systems.' 'We highlighted this because climate change cannot be fixed in the atmosphere. It can be fixed only in the soil. Putting more focus and investment in soil regeneration through tree-based agriculture is the need of the hour, and that's what we've been doing,' Ethirajalu added. According to the statement by Isha Foundation, providing a large quantity of quality saplings is crucial to achieving the goal of planting over a crore saplings each year. The Cauvery Calling production centres play a vital role in this effort. The production centres include a nursery in Cuddalore, one of the world's largest single-site nurseries, entirely run by women, with a capacity to produce 85 lakh saplings. Together with the nursery at Thiruvannamalai, which produces 15 lakh saplings, these centres form the backbone of the initiative. These nurseries supply 40 distribution centres across Tamil Nadu and 10 centres in Karnataka. Together, these nurseries offer 29 high-value timber species, including Teak, Red Sandalwood, Rosewood, and Mahogany at a subsidised rate of Rs. 3 per sapling. The Nursery at Sadhguru Sannidhi Bengaluru also reached a significant milestone of enabling the plantation of 1,00,000 saplings since its inception in December 2023. At present, it has enabled the plantation of over 1.3 lakh saplings. Cauvery Calling is enhancing farmer livelihoods by enabling them to run sapling production and distribution franchises. Farmers are trained and supported to manage nurseries and supply high-quality organic saplings to their communities. The initiative deployed over 160 field executives to visit more than 32,000 farmlands. These executives offer free consultations from pre-plantation to post-plantation, aiming to spread awareness about the benefits of adopting tree-based agriculture. During the visits, the executives check soil type, soil depth and conduct water tests and recommend tree species suitable for their respective farmlands. These recommendations are carefully curated after considering the region's endemic tree varieties, agro-climatic conditions and income-cycle expectations of the farmers. Cauvery Calling also engages with farmers through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), NGOs, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Gram Panchayats, and agricultural expos. Over 52,000 farmers are supported through 225+ active WhatsApp groups that provide real-time advice. A dedicated helpline, operational daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., resolves farmer queries within 24-48 hours using insights from experts and model farmers, according to the press release. The movement also organised 2 mega training programs and 6 zonal programs in 2024, with 8,721 farmers participating. Experts from prestigious institutions like the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), and Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) shared practical knowledge about tree-based agriculture. In 2024, on landmark days such as World Environment Day (June 5), Van Mahotsav Week (July 1-7), Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), and World Soil Day (December 5) etc, 506 plantation events were conducted, resulting in the planting of 10 lakh saplings. (ANI)
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Business Standard
03-06-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
Aravalli Green Wall Project: India's theme for this World Environment Day
Aiming to fight climate change, India will promote the Aravalli Green Wall project this World Environment Day to encourage tree plantation, combat land degradation and desertification, and create green corridors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially inaugurate the project on June 5. Last year's theme, 'Ek Ped Maa ke Naam', continues this year. The Aravalli Green Wall Project seeks to revive the Aravalli range through various initiatives such as banning single-use plastics, promoting water conservation, and protecting natural resources. It also aims to combat land degradation and desertification by creating green corridors across 29 districts in four states: Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Delhi. The Aravalli hills landscape spans over 6 million hectares. At the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in Riyadh, India introduced the Aravalli Green Wall Project, which was launched in 2019. In March, the Environment Ministry released the project's action plan. The project involves planting native species of trees and shrubs on scrublands, wastelands, and degraded forest lands. It also focuses on rejuvenating and restoring surface water bodies such as ponds, lakes, and streams. Additionally, it emphasizes agroforestry and pasture development to enhance the livelihoods of local communities. Through this initiative, India aims to achieve its national goal of creating an additional 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon sink by 2030, as committed in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Under the project, 1,000 nurseries will be established across the 29 districts, with funding from CAMPA, MNREGA, and other state green initiatives to ensure the survival of planted saplings. The green wall will contribute to carbon sequestration and help mitigate climate change, while enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Aravalli range. Planting native tree species will provide wildlife habitat and improve water quality and quantity, contributing to reduced air pollution in India. There will also be socio-economic benefits, according to an official from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The project will be executed by various stakeholders, including central and state governments, forest departments, research institutes, civil society organizations, private sector entities, and local communities. Success will require adequate funding, technical expertise, policy coordination, and public awareness.
