Discover this week’s must-read nature and climate news
- This weekly roundup contains key nature and climate news from the past week.
- TOP NATURE & CLIMATE STORIES: Study says planet Earth fails ‘scientific health check’; The annual bill is $2.7 trillion to reach net zero by 2050; The EU Disaster Response Reserve needs urgent funding.
From September 18 to 22, the World Economic Forum will bring together business leaders, policy makers, civil society organizations, innovators and social entrepreneurs to… Sustainable development impact meetings.
Carefully curated and impact-driven Leaders’ Dialogues will focus on ways to get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track at the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda.
1. Study says planet Earth fails ‘scientific health check’.
Scientists say the latest scientific health check of Earth’s boundaries shows the planet is operating “beyond the safe operating range for humanity.”
Human-caused pollution and environmental destruction have pushed six out of nine global boundaries, or systems – such as climate, water resources and biodiversity – beyond their ability to sustain a healthy planet.
The report says two other frontiers, air pollution and ocean acidification, are on the verge of collapse. Atmospheric ozone is the only frontier that has not been threatened after concerted action to ban the use of ozone-depleting chemicals in recent years.
The study, published in the journal Science Advances, is the first to examine all nine planetary boundaries.
While the findings are a major cause for concern, the damage caused by humans is not irreparable. But urgent action is needed on the climate and nature crises to return these systems to a stable state.
“Science and the whole world are really concerned about all the extreme climate events hitting societies across the planet. But what worries us most are the increasing signs of diminishing resilience,” Professor Johan Rockström, who led the team that developed the Boundaries Framework, told The Guardian. “Planet”.
2. Report finds $2.7 trillion annual bill to reach net zero by 2050
Globally, $2.7 trillion in annual investments are needed to achieve efforts to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, according to a new report from energy research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.
Decarbonizing the global energy sector requires a projected annual investment of $1.9 trillion, which must be increased by 150% to keep global average atmospheric temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels set by the Paris Agreement.
While many governments have made climate commitments, the world is not on track to meet climate goals. The Earth’s atmosphere is already 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than it was in the 19th century, according to the United Nations.
Current government pledges would see temperatures reach 2.5°C, with serious consequences for the planet and all species that live on it, including humans.
Simon Flowers, chairman and chief analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said: “Achieving 1.5°C will be very difficult, but it is possible and depends largely on actions taken this decade.”
Global greenhouse gas emissions and warming scenarios.
Image: Our world in data
Commitments are one thing. But pledges need to be translated into action to prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis, and time is running out. If this phenomenon is not controlled, temperatures may exceed 4 degrees Celsius by the end of this century, with disastrous consequences for humanity.
More action and investment is needed to bring annual greenhouse gas emissions in line with pathways to achieve net zero by 2050.
It is an annual meeting that brings together the best examples of public-private collaboration and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies used to advance the sustainable development agenda.
It is being held alongside the UN General Assembly, which this year is hosting a one-day climate summit. This is timely given growing public concerns – and citizen action – about weather conditions, pollution, ocean health, and dwindling wildlife. It also reflects an understanding of the growing commercial viability of the business.
The United Nations Strategic Development Goals and the Paris Agreement provide the structure needed to solve many of these challenges. But to achieve this, we need to change patterns of production, employment and consumption.
The work of the World Economic Forum is fundamental, as the Summit provides the opportunity to discuss, debate and engage on these issues at the global policy level.
3. News in brief: Other top nature and climate stories this week
The EU Disaster Response Reserve needs urgent funding to respond to the escalating crises caused by climate change. The emergency aid fund was exhausted in 2021 and 2022, while natural disasters escalated this year.
Devastating floods have overwhelmed much of the Libyan city of Derna, killing thousands of people and sweeping many more into the sea. The United Nations International Organization for Migration said at least 30,000 people were displaced.
A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake has struck Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, killing at least 2,000 people and injuring many more. Much of Marrakesh’s historic old city and many outlying villages have been destroyed.
A 1.2 km section of the River Aller in Somerset, UK, has been filled with 4,000 tonnes of soil. The National Trust Fund and Environment Agency project aims to restore the floodplain and create a seven-hectare wetland reserve.
The acceleration of ice movement was recorded at the polar base of Halley Station, which is located on the vast floating Brant Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Although there is no imminent danger of the ice sheet disintegrating, scientists are monitoring the situation.
It is an annual meeting that brings together the best examples of public-private collaboration and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies used to advance the sustainable development agenda.
It is being held alongside the UN General Assembly, which this year is hosting a one-day climate summit. This is timely given growing public concerns – and citizen action – about weather conditions, pollution, ocean health, and dwindling wildlife. It also reflects an understanding of the growing commercial viability of the business.
The United Nations Strategic Development Goals and the Paris Agreement provide the structure needed to solve many of these challenges. But to achieve this, we need to change patterns of production, employment and consumption.
The work of the World Economic Forum is fundamental, as the Summit provides the opportunity to discuss, debate and engage on these issues at the global policy level.
4. More on the nature and climate crisis on the agenda
Economic uncertainty is impacting progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, says the World Economic Forum’s Leading Economists Outlook report ahead of upcoming Sustainable Development Impact Meetings.
The oceans represent the world’s seventh largest economy, but strong trade leadership is needed to protect them. Here are three things companies can do to accelerate ocean health.
Lessons learned from the devastating floods that hit South Africa in 2022 highlight the importance of investing in climate-resilient infrastructure that is “planned, designed, built and operated in a way that anticipates, prepares for and adapts to changing climate conditions.”
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