Archive for ‘Climate carnage’

14/11/2024

COP29: Energy Transition Must Not Trigger a ‘Stampede of Greed’ that Crushes the Poor

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Climate talks at COP29 in Baku on Wednesday [] turned to the pressing issue of how to manage the demand for minerals essential to producing electric vehicles and solar panels without triggering a “stampede of greed” that exploits local communities and crushes the poor.

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Children work at a mine in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
© UNICEF/Patrick Brown | Children work at a mine in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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“We are here to respond to a key challenge: turning the energy transition towards justice,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, asking the participants at a roundtable discussion to weigh in on the work of his Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.
14/11/2024

The Philippines Brace for More Storms amid Devastating Typhoon Season

Human Wrongs Watch

After enduring 12 typhoons this year, including two back-to-back storms in less than a month, communities across the Philippines are bracing for more extreme weather

A boy drags possessions through the flooded streets of Manila in the aftermath of a typhoon. (file)
© ADB | A boy drags possessions through the flooded streets of Manila in the aftermath of a typhoon. (file)

11/11/2024

‘Adapt or Perish’

Human Wrongs Watch

By Vibhu Mishra

UN calls for urgent action at COP29 climate summit

(UN News)* — Come hell or high water, nations must urgently scale up climate adaptation efforts, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned Thursday [], starting with a commitment to boost adaptation financing at the upcoming COP29 summit.

A girl from the Iñupiat community stands on an ice floe on a shore of the Arctic Ocean in Barrow, Alaska in the United States. The anomalous melting of the Arctic ice is one of the many effects of global warming that has a serious impact on the life of h…
UNICEF/Vlad Sokhin | A girl from the Iñupiat community stands on an ice floe on a shore of the Arctic Ocean in Barrow, Alaska in the United States. The anomalous melting of the Arctic ice is one of the many effects of global warming that has a serious impact on the life of humans and the wildlife.
11/11/2024

2024 Is on Track to Be Hottest Year on Record

Human Wrongs Watch

Baku, Azerbaijan, 11 November 2024 – The year 2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record after an extended streak of exceptionally high monthly global mean temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Cracked dry earth stretches toward a colorful sunset sky with pink and orange clouds on the horizon.

The WMO State of the Climate 2024 Update once again issues a Red Alert at the sheer pace of climate change in a single generation, turbo-charged by ever-increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.

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10/11/2024

Cities Will Be Hit Hardest By Climate Change

Human Wrongs Watch

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 7 2024 (IPS)* – Cities are in a unique position, simultaneously the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses and the most affected areas of the greenhouse effect.
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A flood in Feni City, Bangladesh. Bangladesh, which is one of the most climate-sensitive regions in the world, is particularly vulnerable to climate shocks, such as rising sea levels. Credit: UNICEF/Alaa Seoudy

As a new UN report shows that rapid urbanization and industrialization have adverse effects on the environment, causing a rise in sea levels, prolonged rainfalls and flooding, and an increase in overall temperature.

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09/11/2024

“Despite Being Highly Preventable, Violence Remains a Horrific Day to Day Reality for Millions of Children around the World”

Human Wrongs Watch

Over half of all children aged two to 17 worldwide – some one billion – are estimated to suffer some form of violence, such as child maltreatment (including corporal punishment, the most prevalent form of childhood violence), physical or emotional abuse and sexual violence.

A survivor of sexual violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
© UNICEF/Vincent Tremeau | A survivor of sexual violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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(UN News)* — More than 100 governments made historic commitments to end childhood violence on Thursday [] at a landmark event in Bogotá, Colombia.
08/11/2024

Looming Famine in Rakhine Signals Wider Crisis in Myanmar

Human Wrongs Watch

Rakhine is home to the mostly-Muslim Rohingya community

By Vibhu Mishra

(UN News)* — Up to two million people in Myanmar’s Rakhine state face the dire prospect of famine, amid a broader economic collapse and worsening humanitarian crisis triggered by the military’s 2021 overthrow of the democratically elected government.
Sittwe, a town in Myanmar's Rakhine state, which has consistently ranked among the poorest regions in the country since the 1940s.
© UNICEF | Sittwe, a town in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, which has consistently ranked among the poorest regions in the country since the 1940s.
In a report released on Thursday [], the UN Development Programme (UNDP) described the situation in the poverty-struck province as an “unprecedented disaster”.
08/11/2024

Over 420,000 Children Affected by Record-Breaking Drought in the Amazon Region

Human Wrongs Watch

Climate shocks in Brazil, Colombia and Peru are leaving children cut off from education, food supplies and other life-saving services as rivers reach devastating lows

 
Drought in the Amazon region in Brazil, October 2024.
UNICEF/UNI671256/Diogenes

PANAMA CITY/NEW YORK, 7 November 2024 (UNICEF)* More than 420,000 children are currently affected by dangerous levels of water scarcity and drought conditions across three countries in the Amazon region, according to new UNICEF estimates.

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08/11/2024

FAST FACTS: Violence against Children Widespread, Affecting Millions Worldwide

Human Wrongs Watch

Every 4 minutes, somewhere in the world, a child is killed by an act of violence

A child stands with his back to the camera, with an adult's arm draped around his neck.
UNICEF/UNI585641/Tremeau

NEW YORK, 4 November 2024 (UNICEF)* -— As world leaders, civil society, advocates, survivors, and young people gather this week for the inaugural Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Bogotá, Colombia, UNICEF is calling for urgent action to combat violence that devastates the lives of millions of children worldwide.

Violence against children – whether physical, emotional, or sexual – is a global crisis happening in homes, schools, communities, and online.

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08/11/2024

Displacement Crisis Reaches 123 Million amid Ongoing Conflicts

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has called for “urgent international support” as the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide reaches 123 million, with ongoing conflicts in Lebanon, Sudan and other areas driving further displacement.  

Syrian and Lebanese families, who fled the escalating violence in Lebanon, arrive in Syria.
© UNICEF/Rami Nader | Syrian and Lebanese families, who fled the escalating violence in Lebanon, arrive in Syria.

In a statement to the Third Committee of the General Assembly, Mr. Grandi highlighted the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes have caused massive civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, including schools, hospitals and roads.
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“The humanitarian consequences are overwhelming and require urgent international support,” he stated, noting that 470,000 people have crossed into Syria in recent weeks. 

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