Moldova submits tougher plan to UN to cut emissions 70% by 2030
The small eastern European country is the fourth to submit enhanced 2030 plans to UN Climate Change
Legal gaps and US election could delay climate ambition before Glasgow summit
UN says some countries will only submit climate action plans in the last quarter of 2020, giving less time than hoped to take stock before Cop26
Australia’s carbon accounting plan for Paris goals criticised as ‘legally baseless’
Legal experts wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning the use of old carbon credits to meet the country’s 2030 goals would set a ‘dangerous precedent’
EU plans for 2030 climate target can shape Cop26 momentum, ministers warn
Brussels is due to unveil its EU climate law on Wednesday, amid concerns the timetable for action doesn’t align with this year’s global ambition push
UK’s Heathrow airport expansion ruled unlawful over climate change
Three judges ruled the plans illegal because they failed to take into account the UK’s commitment to the Paris Agreement
Net zero goal ‘greatest commercial opportunity of our time,’ says Mark Carney
Incoming UN special envoy, Cop26 president Alok Sharma and ECB president Christine Lagarde set out agenda for private finance at UN climate talks
The Netherlands faces pressure as global ‘test case’ for deep emissions cuts in 2020
Dutch Supreme Court has ordered the government to cut emissions by 25% by 2020 but latest figures show only a 15% reduction from 1990 levels
Switzerland reaffirms 2030 climate plan to UN, works on net zero 2050 goal
The country says its new climate target will reflect a proposed plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050
‘Noah’s Ark’ Arctic seed vault gets new crops, recovers to one million samples
Britain’s Prince Charles, contributing wildflower seeds, says it is ‘exhausting, often demoralising’ to persuade people of vital role of biodiversity
World faces ‘decisive decade’ to fix global warming, former UN climate chief says
Christiana Figueres issues blueprint for a peaceful global revolution to tackle ‘dire emergency’ of climate change, guided by the Paris Agreement she helped craft
South Korea urged to exit coal by 2029 to stick to Paris climate agreement
Climate Analytics research group calls on Seoul to phase out existing coal-fired power plants, stop new construction and halt funds for coal projects in other Asian nations
‘Mysterious’ seasons harm Nigeria’s farmers who need help with climate change
Smallholder farmers grow 90% of Nigeria’s food but their crops are vulnerable to ever more extreme weather linked to climate change. New technologies can help
Protect 30% of Earth to avert ‘irreversible’ biodiversity loss – former ministers say
Albright among 23 former foreign ministers calling for ‘strong protection’ of animals and plants at UN biodiversity summit, due in China in October
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