This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including new research on forever chemicals in the US and developments from the first days of COP29 negotiations.
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1. COP29 Chief Caught in Fossil Fuel Deal Controversy
The COP29 chief executive appeared to use his role at the UN climate summit to facilitate fossil fuel deals, as shown in leaked meeting recordings.
The undercover investigation by campaign group Global Witness exposed Elnur Soltanov, also Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister, agreeing to sponsorships in exchange for aiding oil and gas deals, a move that clashes with the global push towards climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
The Azerbaijani Parliament has issued a statement condemning what it called a “hybrid attack,” and said it “will appeal to the relevant state institutions for a more in-depth investigation of the issue.”
In a statement, Amnesty International described the footage as “alarming,” though it said it did not come as a surprise.
2. UK’s New Emissions Reduction Target Praised as ‘Shining Example of Climate Leadership’
The British government unveiled a fresh target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, reinforcing Britain’s leading role in combating global warming.
Speaking on the second day of the UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035 relative to 1990 levels.
The new target is line with recommendations from the Climate Change Committee, an independent advisory body to the government that last month said the target should exceed the current 78% reduction goal set by Boris Johnson’s Conservative government three years ago.
“With this government, the UK will lead the way and lead Britain and the world into a cleaner, safer, and more prosperous future for all,” said Starmer.
3. Global Carbon Budget: Only 6 Years Left Before Global Warming Exceeds 1.5C, New Report Warns
Humanity has only six years left for a chance to keep global warming below the 1.5C threshold, new research has revealed.
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have reached a record high in 2024, according to a new study by the Global Carbon Project science team. Published Wednesday, the latest edition of the yearly assessment projects fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to reach 37.4 billion tonnes this year, an 0.8% increase from 2023. Emissions from coal, oil and gas in 2024 are projected to rise by 0.2%, 0.9% and 2.4%, respectively, compared to last year.
The group of scientists said there was “no sign” of fossil CO2 peaking despite the urgent need to cut emissions to slow down climate change and a record growth in renewables.
4. PFAS Potentially Contaminate Water For Up to 95 Million Americans: Study
Between 71 million to 95 million Americans potentially get their drinking water from untreated groundwater sources with detectable concentrations of PFAS, new research has found.
The US Geological Survey’s assessment of groundwater contamination revealed levels soaring up to 37,000 times beyond the drinking water standards recently revised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) refer to a group of more than 12,000 heat-resistant, oil-resistant, and water-resistant chemicals first introduced in the 1930s and found in hundreds of products including stain- and water-resistant fabrics and carpeting, makeup, cleaning products, paints, and fire-fighting foams. They are also commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down and can stay in human bodies for years, affecting almost every organ system.
They have been associated with adverse human health effects ranging from cancers to high cholesterol, thyroid disease, digestive issues, liver damage, asthma, allergies, and reduced vaccine response in children.
5. COP29 Must Act ‘Ambitiously’ on Adaptation Finance as Developing Countries Faced With ‘Enormous’ Funding Gap, UN Report Warns
Finance flows to enhance adaptation efforts are not remotely close to what is needed, particularly in climate-vulnerable developing countries, to keep up with the rapidly intensifying impacts of climate change, the UN environmental arm said on Thursday.
An increase of US$6 billion in funding from the developed world between 2021 and 2022, the largest year-on-year increase since the Paris Agreement, represents an “encouraging sign,” the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said last week. Yet the world is far off track on what is really needed, estimated at around $359 billion a year.
While it is true that the $28 billion in funding achieved in 2022 put the world closer to achieving the target set in the Glasgow Climate Pact of at least doubling adaptation finance to developing countries from 2019 levels by 2025, even achieving it would only close the current adaptation finance gap by about 5%, UNEP’s latest Adaptation Gap Report warned.
The growing financial needs to support climate adaptation are the result of the rapidly deteriorating global climate.
