Climate Deal
There are other news events this morning, but what’s more critical to our life than the state of the planet and what may be a looming extinction of our species?
What kind of an agreement was reached at the end of 2 weeks of the COP26 climate conference? What kind of deal is it that the BBC described as “landmark” while critics called a failure?
Essentially the deal doesn’t put us on a solid path to phasing out of fossil fuels, which has to be done to stop global warming.
India drove the argument that rich countries can’t force developing nations to phase out fossils fuels because it’s too costly. India's environment and climate minister, Bhupender Yadav, took aim at a draft deal at the United Nations climate summit "In such a situation, how can anyone expect that developing countries can make promises about phasing out coal and fossil fuel subsidies when developing counties have still to deal with their development agendas and poverty eradication?"
And in the end the deal had to be softened to the point the conference President Alok Sharma was choking back tears, and said “we have kept 1.5C within reach but its pulse is weak and it will only survive if we keep our promises, if we translate commitments into rapid action and if we deliver on the expectations set out in this Glasgow Climate Pact to increase ambition to 2030 and beyond.”
And later Sharma said India and China’s refusal to make commitments to phase out coal is deeply disappointing.
So our coral reefs are disappearing with our polar ice caps. Species of fish and wildlife are going extinct. Millions of people will be displaced from climate chaos, and wars will be fought over water and food. The fight to reduce the planets warming is not over but COP26 in Glasgow didn’t deliver. Before it started, the United Nations global climate summit in Glasgow was billed by its chief organizer as the “last, best hope” to save the planet.
What was agreed to?
-China agreed to work to cut emissions including coal but with no specifics
-More than 100 Countries promised to end deforestation but that promise has been made and broken in the past
-More than 100 Countries said they will work to cut methane emissions
Other News…
Terrorism in Britain
The story is still sketchy and vague, but we know three men have been arrested under the terrorism act in Britain, after a taxi exploded outside the Liverpool Womens hospital, which killed the passenger.
Police have not said specifically if the man was killed by a premature detonation of a bomb, but the explosion occurred at 11am not far from Liverpool cathedral where the city’s Remembrance Sunday event was taking place.
Queen Cancels Again
Queen Elizabeth has once again cancelled her appearance at an event amidst worry for her health. The 95 yr old monarch apparently sprained her back, so was unable to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies. Two weeks before she cancelled an appearance at the COP26 environmental conference and was hospitalized.
Flynn
Trumps disgraced former national security, Michael Flynn shocked many people this weekend with a speech at a “Reawaken America” conference, with outrageous calls for one religion in America. “If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God, and one religion under God” said Flynn.
Flynn is a retired Lt. Gen. who is still paid a full pension from the U.S. military and there are rumblings his 200 thousand dollar a year pension should be cancelled with a court marshal for dishonorable conduct.
Covid Europe
Austria has gone into a lockdown, so has the Netherlands, and Germany is warning of a pandemic of the unvaccinated raising concerns about new spikes in cases of the Covid19.
Austria’s lockdown is specifically for the unvaccinated which is controversial and an attempt to raise vaccination rates which are only at 65% and one of the lowest in Europe.
On Thursday, Germany reported the highest number of new cases of any country in the world, with 50,377. 67.5% of the population is vaccinated.
Britain will as of today extend booster shots to under 50’s as hospitalizations are rising in the UK as well. The pandemic is not over folks and you need to get vaccinated to protect yourself.
Belarus Sanctions
The EU will take out more sanctions against Belarus, possibly today as dictator Lukashenko has used migrants to cause havoc on the Polish border.
EU foreign ministers are also due to meet on Monday to widen the sanctions already imposed on Belarus for its crackdown on opponents of Lukashenko
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ministers would allow sanctions on anyone "taking part in the trafficking of migrants" in Belarus, including airlines, travel agencies and officials.
A busy Monday! Have a good day everyone.
Dana
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/13/climate/cop26-climate-summit-takeaways.html
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/nov/14/liverpool-womens-hospital-one-man-dies-and-one-injured-after-taxi-explodes
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/queen-elizabeth-misses-remembrance-sunday-023608961.html