Locusts plague destroys livelihoods in Kenya but ‘biggest threat yet to come’
Wetter and hotter weather than usual is forecast until May, providing locust eggs with ideal conditions to hatch and grow. FAO says it is in a “race against time”
UK government appoints Alok Sharma as Cop26 president
Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed the former secretary of state for international development to lead the critical UN climate talks in November
EU Parliament urges ECB to put climate at heart of strategy review
European lawmakers have endorsed a parliamentary resolution calling on the ECB to assess how the bank can contribute to the continent’s climate policies
UK climate diplomacy ‘already happening’ for Cop26 despite leadership vacuum
The UK’s top climate diplomat said the country had been able to do ‘a huge amount’ of pre-diplomacy work despite the lack of a Cop26 president
Shipping could raise ambition of 2030 climate target, study shows
Research also shows that a Japanese proposal to cut CO2 by installing engine power limitation devices on ships would not deliver meaningful emissions reduction
Marshall Islands, Suriname, Norway upgrade climate plans before Cop26
The three nations account for 0.1% of global emissions. Norway says 9 February was the deadline for new plans before climate talks in November
Campaigners urge African Union to stop fossil fuel proliferation on continent
In a communique, African civil society called on leaders meeting in Ethiopia to ‘rapidly initiate a transition to clean and safe renewable sources of energy’ for all
World misses symbolic February deadline to ratchet up climate action before Cop26
The 2015 Paris Agreement seeks to raise global ambition every five years. But only three nations have issued upgraded climate plans nine months before Cop26 in Glasgow
Offshore wind deployment boom ‘too slow’ to meet EU climate target
Europe needs between 230 and 450 GW of offshore wind by 2050 to decarbonise its energy system, according to the EU Commission
UK’s Boris Johnson urges all countries to set net zero emissions goals in 2020
The UK’s Prime Minister launched Cop26 hours after being accused by sacked talks president Claire O’Neill of ‘not understanding’ the issues at stake
UK government drops Claire O’Neill as president of Cop26 summit
The presidency role will be elevated to a ministerial role as part of a UK cabinet reshuffle
Youth activists urge African governments to do more to curb climate change
Africa emits only 5% of world greenhouse gas emissions yet is most at risk from worsening heatwaves, droughts and floods
UN relocates biodiversity talks to Italy from China after coronavirus emergency
Rome will host next month’s biodiversity meeting, when negotiators are due to review a draft proposal for a global framework to protect the world’s plants and wildlife
Locusts lay eggs as plague worsens in Horn of Africa, UN warns
The FAO has called for ‘urgent efforts’ to prevent the number of locusts from growing over fears of new swarms
UN biodiversity meeting in China under review following coronavirus outbreak
UN agencies and the Chinese government are holding consultations to decide whether next month’s meeting can go ahead as planned
Indigenous lands, protected areas limit Amazon’s carbon emissions
Greater international support for indigenous land rights and livelihoods is a cost-effective way to limit climate change, PNAS study
IMO under pressure to regulate new ship fuels over Arctic warming
New marine fuels introduced at the start of January could lead to an increase of the shipping sector’s climate impacts
Oslo court backs Arctic oil exploration in defeat for environmentalists
Greenpeace says it will appeal to the Supreme Court, arguing oil exploration violates Norway’s constitutional guarantees of a healthy environment
UK must cut land use emissions by two thirds to meet 2050 goal, advisers warn
Committee on Climate Change warns a fifth of all agricultural land needs to be released for climate mitigation to help the UK achieve carbon neutrality
Trump criticises ‘prophets of doom’ in Davos and touts fossil fuels
Trump, Thunberg set out radically different visions for the economy and climate in the 21st century