Dear friends,A monumental moment is upon us: the start of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). COP26, hosted by the UK government is happening in Glasgow from 31 October – 12 November 2021.The summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Among the chief targets of the conference are to reach agreements that keep
The big environmental stories in the Chinese media (22-28 October)The assertion that the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is “functionally extinct” has stirred up a new round of fierce criticism this week. At a conference in Nanjing on Monday (25 October), the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCDGF) repeated the claim it had first made in 2019. Li Binbin, a conservation scientist at Duke Kunshan
The big environmental stories in the Chinese media (22-28 October)China’s route to peaking emissions by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060 has been sketched out in two documents released this week in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow. Part of the “1+N” policy package, the documents will form the backbone for more detailed upcoming policy on achieving the carbon goals. On Sunday (24 October), the State Council issued its
China’s new stance against supporting coal abroad can move Cambodia towards a clean energy future, writes Bridget McIntosh of EnergyLab Cambodia. By Bridget McIntosh, October 27, 2021In Cambodia, solar and wind are the cheapest sources of new power supply (Image: Praethip Docekalova / Alamy)Over half of Cambodia’s electricity is generated in coal power plants, almost all built with Chinese involvement. Coal’s share in the energy mix was
As COP26 approaches, the ADB is pitching a solution to help countries retire polluting coal plants early. By Lou Del Bello, October 25, 2021A coal-fired power plant on the seashore at Paiton, East Java province, in Indonesia (Image: Alamy)Mounting evidence from across the globe shows that coal has had its time. The most polluting fossil fuel is not only bad for the climate and public health, but it is also becoming financially unviable as
New studies claim the young multilateral bank has loopholes in its environmental and social safeguards that allow negative impacts on communities. By Shi Yi, Wawa Wang, October 26, 2021AIIB president, Jin Liqun. Ahead of its AGM this week, the Asian Infrastructure and Development Bank has come under fire for failing to address the environmental and social impacts of projects it funds. (Image: Li Xin/Alamy)The Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure
