Archive for ‘Africa’

16/11/2023

With a Record High in 2022, ‘No End in Sight’ to Rising Greenhouse Gas Emissions: World Meteorological Organization

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high in 2022 with “no end in sight to the rising trend”, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a report published on Wednesday []. 

Harmful gasses continue to be released into the atmosphere across the world.
© Unsplash/Ehud Neuhaus | Harmful gasses continue to be released into the atmosphere across the world.

The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin comes ahead of the UN climate change conference COP28 which opens in Dubai in two weeks.

Fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – account for most greenhouse gas emissions, which trap the sun’s heat, leading to global warming and climate change.

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12/11/2023

El Niño Expected to Last at Least Until April 2024

Human Wrongs Watch

El Niño is expected to fuel further temperature increases

Impacts will continue into 2024

It will exacerbate extreme weather and climate-events, like heatwaves, floods and droughts

Geneva, 8 November (World Meteorological Organization (WMO)* — The ongoing El Niño event is expected to last at least until April 2024, influencing weather patterns and contributing to a further spike in temperatures both on land and in the ocean, according to a new Update from the World Meteorological Organization.

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12/11/2023

One Planet-Polar Summit Calls for Action on Glaciers and Poles

Human Wrongs Watch

10 November 2023 (World Meteorological Organization (WMO)*Government leaders and scientists have sounded the alarm at the accelerating scale and speed of melting snow, ice and glaciers and the looming threat for human, environmental and economic well-being and security.
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The One Planet – Polar Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron called for urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, for more in-depth scientific research on the cryosphere and better integration of the effects of the retreat of the cryosphere into policy-making.

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12/11/2023

EU-Mercosur: The European Union’s Dirty Plastic Secret

Human Wrongs Watch

Stop EU-Mercosur Trade - Action in Brussels. © Eric De Mildt / Greenpeace
Stop EU-Mercosur Trade – Action in Brussels – Activists from Greenpeace Belgium scale the EU Council headquarters in Brussels, and spray the building with an agricultural pesticide pump, while EU trade ministers discuss the EU-Mercosur trade deal.© Eric De Mildt / Greenpeace

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11/11/2023

Americas: Migrants Pushed to Cross Darién Gap, Abused

Human Wrongs Watch

By Human Rights Watch*

Lack of Safe and Legal Pathways Risks People’s Lives, Empowers Organized Crime

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Migrants and asylum seekers embark on boats that take them from Necoclí to Capurganá, Colombia, where many began a days-long journey across the Darién Gap. © 2022 Human Rights Watch.

(Washington, DC) Restrictions on movement imposed by governments in the Americas have pushed migrants and asylum seekers to risk their lives crossing the Darién Gap, a swampy jungle at the ColombiaPanama border, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today [9 Nomeber 2023].

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11/11/2023

Carbon Market Greenwashing Systems Deepen Inequalities in Global South – Experts

Human Wrongs Watch

NAIROBI, Nov 10 2023 (IPS)* – Somalia, Syria, DRC Congo, Afghanistan, Yemen, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Ethiopia are the 10 countries at greatest risk of climate disaster globally despite collectively contributing just 0.28 percent of global CO2 emissions.
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Kenya's extensive coastline has been fronted as a hub for carbon trading due to its lush mangrove forests. But now experts caution that carbon markets are exploitative greenwashing systems. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

Kenya’s extensive coastline has been fronted as a hub for carbon trading due to its lush mangrove forests. But now experts caution that carbon markets are exploitative greenwashing systems. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

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11/11/2023

Sudan War Turning ‘Homes into Cemeteries’: UN Refugee Agency

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — The war between rival militaries in Sudan is growing in scope and brutality, having driven almost six million people from their homes since it erupted in April and worsening an already complex humanitarian emergency, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday [].

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Displaced people arrive in South Sudan from Sudan through the Joda boarder crossing.
© UNHCR/Ala Kheir | Displaced people arrive in South Sudan from Sudan through the Joda boarder crossing.

“The war that erupted without warning turned previously peaceful Sudanese homes into cemeteries,” said Dominique Hyde, Director of External Relations at UNHCR.

She visited the country last week, and witnessed a surge in human suffering.

“Away from the eyes of the world and the news headlines, the conflict in Sudan continues to rage. Across the country, an unimaginable humanitarian crisis is unfolding, as more and more people are displaced by the relentless fighting,” Ms. Hyde added.

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10/11/2023

Fossil Fuel Producers ‘Literally Doubling Down’

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Contrary to pledges to cut fossil fuel production, government policies worldwide will add up to a doubling of production in 2030, a new report from the UN environment agency (UNEP) revealed on Wednesday [].

The increased use of fossil fuels is inconsistent with limiting global warming.
© Unsplash/Johannes Plenio | The increased use of fossil fuels is inconsistent with limiting global warming.

This hike in fuel extraction comes despite 151 national governments having pledged to achieve net-zero emissions.

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07/11/2023

My Heart Beats Heavily

Human Wrongs Watch

Text: Kristine Grønhaug | Photos: Beate Simarud | Design: Rami Touma

2 November 2023 — She leans her veiled head against her hand holding a walking stick. Is she 80 or 90? She doesn’t know. But her hands are as weathered as time itself.

Her name is Ndamukunzi. It means “without friends”.

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In North Kivu province, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), over 1.2 million people have been displaced since March 2022 when a wave of violence erupted among armed groups fighting over power and resources.

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06/11/2023

White-Collar Miners: Who Is Devastating the Amazon?

Human Wrongs Watch

By LUIS SALAS RODRÍGUEZ for DEBATES INDÍGENAS*

IWGIA – International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs*, 1 November 2023 — While miners are blamed for the destruction of the forests, this gold fever would not exist without the lavish consumption of sheikhs, influencers, rappers, footballers, brokers, Hollywood actors and famous singers.

Following the rise in the price of gold during Covid-19, Central Banks and speculators have further boosted this demand.

In Brazil and Venezuela, the land area affected by mining is increasing rapidly and the presence of gold miners threatens the indigenous communities living near the deposits.

When we think of the illegal and legal gold mining that is bleeding the Amazon, the culprits are obvious.

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