News headlines in 2022, page 31

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 16 (IPS) - COP27 is unlikely to produce new commitments to reduce emissions of climate-changing gases, but the global energy crisis will eventually prompt more action by countries to move away from fossil fuels. That is the positive feeling that many observers are taking away from the annual climate summit being held in Egypt.

STOCKHOLM, Nov 16 (IPS) - Like most armed conflicts the Ukrainian war intends to establish hegemony over a certain area, in rivalry with other usurpers. Russian propaganda pinpoints the US and EU as Russia’s main adversaries, while Ukraine is portrayed as a pawn in these nations’ international yearnings. Such a scenario is not new.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Nov 16 (IPS) - Climate change is an existential threat to humans and our ability to thrive on a healthy planet. But when it comes to rising temperatures, the inability of humankind to slow emissions and limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius isn’t because we lack knowledge or need new technologies.

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Nov 16 (IPS) - Climate change is worsening injustice globally, and the poor and vulnerable communities are the most affected. It is time the world acted on fulfilling human rights and building a liveable planet, says Yamide Dagnet, director for Climate Justice at Open Society Foundations.

LONDON, Nov 16 (IPS) - As it moves to increase its climate adaptation finance, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has launched the EBRD Climate Adaptation Action Plan (CAAP) at COP27, the global climate summit taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Some of the most intense bombardments in the war in Ukraine have occurred in recent days, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council on Wednesday, warning against the risk of escalation and spillover into other countries.

The new UN human rights chief ended his first country visit on Wednesday explaining that he had chosen Sudan to “bring a strong message” that human rights must “be at the core” of its transition away from military rule to democracy.    

Without urgent investment in climate mitigation and adaptation, countries in the Sahel risk decades of armed conflict and displacement, exacerbated by rising temperatures, scarcity of resources and food insecurity, the UN has warned in a report published on Wednesday.

With the right national policies, digital technology can give “an unprecedented boost to sustainable development”, particularly for the poorest countries, the UN chief told the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday. 

Three candidate Ebola vaccines for a proposed clinical trial in Uganda should be shipped to the country next week, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday.