THE HAGUE & JOHANNESBURG, Dec 02 (IPS) - Countries facing existential crises due to climate change have asked the International Court of Justice in the Hague to look beyond climate treaties, like the Paris Agreement, when it considers its opinion on the obligations of high-emitting UN member states.A few UN member states responsible for the majority of emissions have breached international law, Ralph Regenvanu, a special climate envoy from Vanuatu, told the International Court of Justice in the Hague in his opening address.

Read the full story, “Small Island States Demand International Court Look Beyond Climate Treaties For Justice”, on globalissues.org →

LONDON, Dec 02 (IPS) - COP29, the latest annual climate summit, had one job: to strike a deal to provide the money needed to respond to climate change. It failed.

This was the first climate summit dedicated to finance. Global south countries estimate they need a combined US$1.3 trillion a year to transition to low-carbon economies and adapt to the impacts of climate change. But the last-minute offer made by global north states was for only US$300 billion a year.

Read the full story, “COP29 Falls Short on Finance”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 02 (IPS) - On November 27, a ceasefire agreement was agreed upon by officials for Israel, Lebanon, and a host of other mediating parties, including the United States. Yet even with this step towards peace, conflict and suffering continue in Gaza, raising questions of when – or how – a similar outcome can be achieved.

Read the full story, “What Does The Ceasefire in Lebanon Entail For Gaza?”, on globalissues.org →

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Dec 02 (IPS) - The Ocean is our life source, but for decades it has been repeatedly marred by humankind. With the disposal of pollutants into the Ocean, overexploitation of Ocean resources and the human-driven increase of global temperatures, the Ocean is changing and not for the better.

Our Oceans are warming, corals are dying, fish stocks are declining, toxic chemicals are being released into the Ocean – these eAects are clearly visible today, but there is hope. There are organisations from all around the world that are fighting to save our Ocean.

Read the full story, “Giving the Ocean a Fighting Chance Through the Great Blue Wall”, on globalissues.org →

RIYADH Saudi Arabia, Dec 02 (IPS) - A major new scientific report was launched December 1, a day ahead of the opening of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16).

Read the full story, “Confronting the Global Crisis of Land Degradation”, on globalissues.org →