Results for: Climate Change

As the Rendez-vous Canada tourism convention unfolds, Canada’s tourism industry faces a major challenge: wildfires exacerbated by climate change. Hot, dry weather conditions have sparked massive fires in Alberta and British Columbia, forcing evacuations and threatening communities. The impact of wildfires extends beyond immediate destruction, as international perceptions of Canada as an unsafe destination deter visitors. Tourism operators report cancellations due to widespread media coverage of fires, despite the vast majority of the country remaining unaffected. The industry is also navigating rising insurance costs and staffing challenges resulting from extreme weather events. In response to these challenges, the federal government and stakeholders are working to address concerns and promote Canada’s diverse offerings beyond fire-affected areas.

The much-anticipated Monsoon 2024 is set to bring relief to Kerala, offering respite from the oppressive heat conditions that have gripped large parts of India. The onset of the Monsoon is expected to provide a significant break from the scorching temperatures, particularly in eastern and southern India, where heatwave conditions have been particularly severe this year.

PCMA and SANCBE present Convene 4 Climate, a sustainability conference for the business events industry. Focused on Reimagine, Inspire, and Movement, the event will explore transformative solutions to climate change challenges, promote long-term profitability through sustainability, and foster a global movement for resilience. Join a diverse community of sustainability leaders in Barcelona from 2-3 October for meaningful discussions and actionable strategies.

Leviton’s Network Solutions Business Unit has announced that it has achieved carbon neutrality ahead of schedule. This achievement was accomplished through a three-step process of measure, reduce, and offset. Leviton employed a global sustainability consultancy to measure its carbon footprint and identify areas of potential improvement. The company then reduced its carbon emissions by 55% through investments in clean energy providers and on-site solar power. Finally, Leviton invested in clean energy-focused carbon offset projects to offset the remaining emissions. The company is committed to achieving company-wide carbon neutrality by 2030.

Despite commitments to lower emissions, Europe’s top banks provided $24.2 billion to fossil fuel companies in 2023. The Banking on Climate Chaos report found that European banks contributed just over a quarter of the global fossil fuel financing last year, with Barclays, Santander, and Deutsche Bank among the biggest lenders. European banks appear to be particularly blind to the risks associated with the expansion of LNG, financing new facilities that will lock us into fossil gas for decades to come.

Torrential rainfall in Afghanistan has triggered devastating flash floods, resulting in the tragic deaths of over 300 individuals. The northern province of Baghlan has borne the brunt of the flooding, with countless homes destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people isolated. Children have been particularly vulnerable, withUNICEF reporting that 51 of the deceased are young children. International aid organizations are mobilizing relief teams and providing essential supplies to the affected areas, while the World Health Organization has delivered 7 tons of medicines and emergency kits. The United Nations and human rights organizations have urged immediate assistance for flood victims and emphasized the urgent need for long-term planning to address Afghanistan’s susceptibility to climate-related disasters.

Heavy rains continue to batter Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state, where over 136 people have died in floods since last week. Over 400,000 have been displaced, with 70,000 sheltering in temporary locations. The poor are particularly vulnerable, with limited options to move to safer areas. The devastation may be comparable to Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005. Weather experts predict a cold front, raising concerns over hypothermia. Celebrities, agencies, and the government have mobilized to provide support to flood victims.

The Council of Europe is the only regional human rights system that has not yet explicitly recognized the right to a healthy environment. However, significant progress has been made in recent years, including the unanimous adoption of a UN resolution recognizing the right in 2022. 42 of the Council’s 46 member states already protect the right to a healthy environment through their national constitutions or legislation, and the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the government’s lack of action on climate change violated the rights of a group of older Swiss women. Despite these advances, there is still a lack of political will to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in the European Convention on Human Rights. However, the growing number of climate cases and the recognition of the right by the UN and other international bodies is putting pressure on the Council of Europe to take action.

Two elderly Just Stop Oil protestors have damaged the protective case around the Magna Carta in a symbolic protest against the government’s inaction on climate change. Reverend Dr Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, entered the British Library in London and vandalized the enclosure, demanding that the UK commit to phasing out fossil fuels by 2030. Their protest comes after a High Court ruling criticized the government’s lack of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the urgency of addressing the climate crisis.

Climeworks, a pioneer in carbon capture technology, has launched a massive direct air capture and storage (DAC+S) plant in Iceland. The Mammoth plant, ten times larger than Climeworks’ previous facility, has the capacity to remove up to 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air annually. By utilizing Iceland’s abundant geothermal energy, the plant offers a scalable solution for combating climate change.