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The world approved a bitterly negotiated climate deal Sunday committing wealthy historic polluters to $300 billion annually for poor and vulnerable nations that had demanded far more to confront the crisis of global warming. After two exhaustive weeks of chaotic bargaining and sleepless nights, nearly 200 nations banged through the contentious finance pact in the early hours beneath a sports stadium roof in Azerbaijan. Nations had struggled to reconcile long-standing divisions over climate finance. Sleep-deprived diplomats, huddled in anxious groups, were still revising the final phrasing on the plenary floor before the deal passed. At points, the talks appeared on the brink of collapse, with developing nations storming out of meetings and threatening to walk away should rich nations not cough up more cash. In the end -- despite repeating that no deal is better than a bad deal -- they did not stand in the way of an agreement, despite it falling well short of what they want. The final deal commits developed nations to pay at least $300 billion a year by 2035 to help developed countries green their economies and prepare for worse disasters. That is up from $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire -- and from the $250 billion proposed in a draft Friday. That offer was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, which have demanded at least $500 billion to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. A number of countries have accused Azerbaijan, an authoritarian oil and gas exporter, of lacking the experience and will to meet the moment, as the planet again sets temperature records and faces rising deadly disasters. Wealthy countries and small island nations have also been concerned by efforts led by Saudi Arabia to water down calls from last year's summit to phase out fossil fuels. The United States and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. The final draft encouraged developing countries to make contributions on a voluntary basis, reflecting no change for China which already pays climate finance on its own terms. Wealthy nations said it was politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, returns to the White House in January and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. The deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. bur-np-sct/lth/jj
The Amazon rainforest endured a devastating year in 2024, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought marking its worst 12 months since 2005. These challenges exacerbated deforestation in a biome vital to combating climate change. Global warming fuelled severe drought, which in turn fed widespread fires. Authorities suspect many fires were deliberately set to clear land for cattle grazing, further compounding the damage. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch. “Humanity’s window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” Between January and October, more than 37 million acres of Brazil’s Amazon burned — an area larger than the state of Chhattisgarh. Bolivia experienced a record number of fires, while Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw surges. Fires linked to deforestation and pasture management were a key driver of the blazes. Smoke from fires in Brazil’s Amazon, Cerrado savannah, and Pantanal wetland blanketed large areas, a testament to the scale of destruction. For the second consecutive year, the Amazon River reached historic lows, prompting emergency declarations in some countries. One of the river’s main tributaries in Brazil dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, leaving residents in crisis. Despite the destruction, there were some gains. Forest loss in Brazil, which hosts the largest portion of the Amazon, fell by 30.6 per cent compared to the previous year, hitting the lowest levels in nine years. The improvement was attributed to the policies of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has stressed forest protection. This contrasted sharply with his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, under whose administration deforestation surged to a 15-year high. Colombia also reported historic lows in deforestation in 2023, but by mid-2024, deforestation had risen again due to dry conditions caused by El Niño. “Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. The year also saw progress in recognising the Amazon’s global significance and the role of Indigenous communities in conservation. At COP16, the United Nations biodiversity conference hosted in Colombia, nations agreed to grant Indigenous groups a greater voice in conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor,” Miller said. The appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as secretary general of the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organisation was seen as another step forward. “If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. With inputs from APBlake's career receiving day helps Charlotte beat FAU 39-27
Blake's career receiving day helps Charlotte beat FAU 39-27