Latest news with #Cop30
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe
Rampant climate misinformation is turning the crisis into a catastrophe, according to the authors of a new report. It found climate action was being obstructed and delayed by false and misleading information stemming from fossil fuel companies, rightwing politicians and some nation states. The report, from the International Panel on the Information Environment (Ipie), systematically reviewed 300 studies. The researchers found climate denialism has evolved into campaigns focused on discrediting solutions, such as the false claims that renewable energy caused the recent massive blackout in Spain. Online bots and trolls hugely amplify false narratives, the researchers say, playing a key role in promoting climate lies. The experts also report that political leaders, civil servants and regulatory agencies are increasingly being targeted in order to delay climate action. Climate misinformation – the term used by the report for both deliberate and inadvertent falsehoods – is of increasing concern. Last Thursday, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change, Elisa Morgera, called for misinformation and greenwashing by the fossil fuel industry to be criminalised. On Saturday, Brazil, host of the upcoming Cop30 climate summit, will rally nations behind a separate UN initiative to crack down on climate misinformation. 'It is a major problem,' said Dr Klaus Jensen, of the University of Copenhagen, who co-led the Ipie review. 'If we don't have the right information available, how are we going to vote for the right causes and politicians, and how are politicians going to translate the clear evidence into the necessary action? Unfortunately, I think the [bad actors] are still very, very active, and probably have the upper hand now.' Jensen added: 'We have about five years to cut emissions in half and until 2050 to go carbon neutral. Without the right information, we're not going to get there. So the climate crisis being translated into a climate catastrophe is possible, unless we handle the climate information integrity problem.' Morgera said in her report last week that countries must 'defossilise' information systems, after decades of misinformation from the powerful fossil fuel industry. She said states should 'criminalise misinformation and misrepresentation (greenwashing) by the fossil fuel industry' and 'criminalise media and advertising firms for amplifying disinformation and misinformation by fossil fuel companies'. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, called in June 2024 for a ban on advertising by fossil fuel companies, calling the firms the 'godfathers of climate chaos'. The UN is leading an international effort called the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change. Brazil will call for countries to strengthen measures to fight climate lies at climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany, with the UK, France, Chile, Morocco and others already signed up to the initiative. Audrey Azoulay, the Unesco director general, said: 'Climate-related disinformation [is] running rampant on social media.' The Ipie report is a comprehensive assessment of who is producing climate misinformation, how they propagate it, what impact it has and how it can be combated. It concludes: 'Misleading information has undermined public trust in climate science and other key social institutions. This crisis of information integrity is intensifying and exacerbating the climate crisis.' The misinformation ranges from industry promoting fossil gas as a 'low-carbon fuel' to bizarre conspiracy theories such as that wildfires in southern California this year were planned by officials in order to destroy child-trafficking tunnels. Among the findings are that the fossil fuel industry has engaged in a 'dual deception' of the public, first denying the reality of climate change, obscuring its responsibility and obstructing climate action, and, second, deploying greenwash to portray itself as an environmentally sustainable enterprise. The report says other sectors have also promoted climate misinformation: US electricity companies, animal agriculture, airlines, tourism, and fast food. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion Donald Trump, who has called climate science 'a giant hoax' and 'bullshit', is identified as a key influencer, 'whose logical fallacies, unfounded claims and cherrypicking of findings were heavily' reposted by other social media users, including many bot accounts. The report says Russian intelligence has used troll farms to disseminate disinformation about climate change. However, Jensen said the problem was deeper than social media. 'Alliances of industry and conservative thinktanks actually target misinformation at the key people who will be making decisions. Those links are particularly worrisome because it's something approaching a conspiracy.' In the European context, rightwing populist parties are 'actively contravening climate science', the report says, including the AfD in Germany, Vox in Spain, and the National Rally in France. Media outlets with conservative or rightwing political ideologies give priority to and amplify denial, scepticism and conspiracy theories regarding climate change, the report says. Measures to fight climate misinformation include regulation to improve the moderation of content by social media companies, as with the EU Digital Services Act, and requiring fossil fuel companies to make standardised declarations of their emissions. Jensen said some legal cases against purveyors of climate misinformation were already under way. In the longer term, improved climate education would enable citizens to identify misinformation. Jensen also said more research was needed as the studies to date were overwhelmingly on English-language misinformation and western nations, with, for example, just one study out of the 300 focused on Africa.
Irish Examiner
13-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Cork to host major summit on climate and health after invitation from World Health Organization
Cork is to host a major 'summit of mayors' for the World Health Organization (WHO) next year with a focus on climate and health. It follows an invitation from the WHO's regional European office to the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle, and council chief executive Valerie O'Sullivan, which was accepted at the June meeting of the city council on Monday. The summit, due to take place in autumn 2026, will come a few months after the UN's Cop30 climate change summit in Brazil, and a key meeting next March of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making arm of the WHO. The meeting in Cork will bring together mayors from dozens of cities, elected political leaders, and public health professionals from across the WHO's European region to discuss the issues emerging from Cop30, and the need for greater inter-city collaboration on climate and health, with a focus on preparedness, equity and sustainability. 'As a longstanding and active member of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network and an EU Mission City, Cork City has demonstrated leadership in health and climate action that has helped to shape regional priorities and elevate the voice of Cork within the broader European context,' Mr Boyle said. This further endorses our vision for the city to approach health and climate action in a holistic way to encourage innovation, new ways of working, new partnerships and new social and economic opportunities. The proposed two-day summit is expected to involve high-level political meetings, technical exchanges, and site visits showcasing Cork's work in climate action, participatory governance, and community resilience. Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency published its first National Climate Change Risk Assessment, which identified 115 key risks to the State posed by climate change, with extreme wind, coastal erosion, and flooding among the biggest threats. But it has also identified risks to public health, including from flooding and from extreme heat, with those over 65 considered most vulnerable to heat-related impacts.
The National
12-06-2025
- Business
- The National
World watches as national climate goals loom over Cop30
Leading figures have sounded the alarm as they gathered in the UAE ahead of the next major round of UN climate talks at Cop30, in Brazil. Speaking at an event in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Majid Al Suwaidi, chief of climate investment vehicle, Alterra, warned that the talks are up against 'significant challenges'. 'To date, only 15 updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have been submitted,' Mr Al Suwaidi said. While the original deadline was February, a revised cut off in September is now the last window to submit updated pledges before Cop30 opens in Belem, Brazil, in November. Both Brazil and the UAE laid out robust NDCs ahead of the initial February deadline. 'Ambition and finance go hand in hand,' Mr Al Suwaidi added. 'The world will be watching closely to see whether these NDCs rise to the level of ambition that we truly need.' Mr Al Suwaidi, a seasoned climate negotiator and Cop28 director general, praised Brazil's leadership skill, noting the country's track record of inclusive dialogue and its symbolic role as steward of the Amazon. 'I have great confidence in the Brazilian residency, their diplomatic skills have been evident throughout the climate negotiations, and was on full display during their successful G20 presidency last year.' EU's NDC's on track to meet new deadline Discussions at Cop30 are expected to focus on whether national climate plans will collectively keep humanity on track to meet the Paris Agreement's goals, as well as on the mobilisation of $1.3 trillion in climate finance hammered in at climate talks at Cop29. At Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Marina Silva, Brazil's Minister of Environment, described it as the finance Cop but claimed Cop30 would be the Cop of NDCs. Climate activists hope more can be achieved in Brazil than in Baku. EU ambassador to the UAE, Lucie Berger, confirmed to The National that the bloc is on track to submit its updated contribution by September, but noted that all 27 member states must align through democratic processes. Ms Berger pointed to Cop28 in Dubai as a turning point, where global agreement was reached on transitioning away from fossil fuels and tripling renewable energy capacity. 'We've shown that coalition-building around shared causes works,' she said. 'Now we need to bring that same spirit to Cop30.' Ms Berger also highlighted the Amazon as a fitting host for the summit's 30th milestone. 'We need to see measurable, inclusive progress on nature, biodiversity, and deforestation,' she said. On the ground, she added that the EU and the UAE are looking to co-operate on clean energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as explore co-operation on carbon trading and pricing. 'I think we're currently looking for more strategic partners and the UAE comes naturally to mind,' she said. What is at stake? For Pacific nations on the front lines of climate disruption, firm national and financial commitments cannot come soon enough. Fiji's ambassador to the UAE, Siddiq Koya, warned that time is running out for communities facing rising seas, worsening storms and crop loss. 'This is the last batch of NDCs that matter,' he said. 'For the Pacific, 1.5°C is not a policy preference – it's a red line for survival.' He stressed the need for finance systems that are accessible and tailored to vulnerable nations' needs. 'We are delivering, but we cannot deliver alone,' he said, mentioning loss of coral reefs, forced relocations and unsustainable rebuilding cycles. Christoph Klarmann, Chargé dÁffaires of the German embassy, echoed those concerns. Recounting a recent landslide in the Swill Village of Blatten caused by glacial melt, he warned: 'Climate change is not just a climate emergency. It is actually a human emergency. The consequences affect water, food, health, security and ultimately peace.' Germany, he added, remains committed to its net zero target by 2045, and views the UAE's new climate law and corporate decarbonisation requirements as positive progress.
The Star
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Brics approves climate finance framework, crafting joint stance for first time
The Brics economic bloc approved its first joint climate finance framework on Thursday, the group's most coordinated effort to date on funding climate action and setting the stage for a shared position – a first for the group – ahead of Cop30 in Brazil. The nonbinding framework – agreed during a high-level meeting on climate change and sustainable development – outlines Brics priorities including the reform of multilateral development banks, the scaling up of concessional finance and the mobilising of private capital to support climate efforts in the Global South. The document will be submitted to Brics heads of state at their July meeting. Cop30, the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties, the latest United Nations climate change summit, is scheduled for November in Belem, Brazil. 'For the first time, there will be a document that guides a common and collective Brics action in the area of climate finance – involving, for example, reforms of multilateral banks, more concessional finance, and also the mobilisation of private capital and regulatory matters to ensure that flows can reach developing countries,' said Tatiana Rosito, the international affairs secretary at Brazil's finance ministry. In a statement, the Brazilian presidency said that the bloc's latest climate effort reflected a shift from defensive posturing to proactive coordination in international negotiations. Although this marks Brics' first formal initiative as a negotiations bloc on climate finance, its core members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – have coordinated informally for years. Their climate diplomacy began through what was originally called the Basic group, which has worked jointly since the 1990s to defend the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' in global negotiations. Brics' climate ambitions intensified with the 2024 Kazan Declaration, which analysts described as the farthest-reaching statement the bloc has yet produced. It placed the Paris Agreement at the centre of its strategy, rejected unilateral trade measures taken under the guise of environmental policy, and linked sustainability to development and equity. 'The framework declaration on climate finance was approved at the vice-ministerial level and will be taken to the heads of state,' said Liliam Chagas, director of climate at Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 'Brics bringing its perspective as major developing countries of the Global South is very important and will help us with outcomes by the end of the year.' The framework feeds into Brazil's flagship goal for Cop30, called 'Road Map Baku-Belem', which aims to mobilise US$1.3 trillion in climate finance for developing countries by 2035. While the Brics document will not be part of formal talks under the UN climate process, officials say it could help build consensus and overcome deadlocks. 'Financing is one of the central issues – at Cop29 and again for Cop30 – especially in the shape of the Road Map Baku-Belem,' Rosito said. 'Even if it is not a negotiation document, it can very well help to unlock negotiations and push climate action forward.' Among the proposals is Brazil's planned Tropical Forests Forever Fund, a financing mechanism developed during its Group of 20 presidency and expected to launch at Cop30. It aims to attract private investment into forest conservation, offering returns instead of requesting direct contributions. 'This is an initiative that fits well as an innovative mechanism for private capital mobilisation,' Rosito said. 'With the financial model being designed, [we] could leverage resources four to five times over ... and the countries that conserve their forests would receive funds for not deforesting.' Beyond financing, the Brics meeting produced agreements to facilitate the use of climate-related patents, establish a joint platform for research and development and create a new Brics laboratory to assess how climate policies abroad might affect member economies. 'These countries will have a space to understand the impact of trade measures that might affect their exports,' Chagas said. She added that a separate agreement on carbon accounting would let Brics countries better track emissions linked to specific goods and industries, helping them evaluate how environmental standards might influence trade flows, import-export dynamics and broader economic activity.
South China Morning Post
29-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Brics approves climate finance framework, crafting a joint position for the first time
The Brics economic bloc approved its first joint climate finance framework on Thursday, the group's most coordinated effort to date on funding climate action and setting the stage for a shared position – a first for the group – ahead of Cop30 in Brazil. The nonbinding framework – agreed during a high-level meeting on climate change and sustainable development – outlines Brics priorities including the reform of multilateral development banks, the scaling up of concessional finance and the mobilising of private capital to support climate efforts in the Global South. The document will be submitted to Brics heads of state at their July meeting. Cop30, the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties, the latest United Nations climate change summit, is scheduled for November in Belem, Brazil. 'For the first time, there will be a document that guides a common and collective Brics action in the area of climate finance – involving, for example, reforms of multilateral banks, more concessional finance, and also the mobilisation of private capital and regulatory matters to ensure that flows can reach developing countries,' said Tatiana Rosito, the international affairs secretary at Brazil's finance ministry. In a statement, the Brazilian presidency said that the bloc's latest climate effort reflected a shift from defensive posturing to proactive coordination in international negotiations. Although this marks Brics' first formal initiative as a negotiations bloc on climate finance, its core members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – have coordinated informally for years.
