UN Security Council Imposes New Sanctions on North Korea
The United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea on Wednesday that aim to cut the Asian country's annual export revenue by more than a quarter in response to Pyongyang's fifth and largest nuclear test in September. The 15-member council unanimously adopted a resolution to slash North Korea's biggest export, coal, by about 60 percent with an annual sales cap of $400.9 million or 7.5 million metric tonnes, whichever is lower.
IMO to Press on with Carbon Cutting Effort
IMO says making progress in cutting emissions but environmental campaigners say IMO's efforts too slow. Global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions will continue even after the election of climate change skeptic Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency and momentum is growing to cut ship pollution, the United Nations' shipping agency chief told Reuters. Trump has called global warming a hoax and has promised to quit the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
EU Backing to tip Paris Climate Deal over Threshold
European Parliament backs accord to fight climate change; Ratification expected to be with U.N. by Friday. The European Parliament backed the Paris accord to fight climate change on Tuesday, tipping it over the threshold needed for the global deal to enter into force, in what U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon hailed as an historic vote. The Paris Agreement, backed by nearly 200 nations nearly one year ago, will help guide a radical shift of the world economy away from fossil fuels in an effort to limit heat waves…
Record Day One Signatures Expected for Climate Deal
A Paris deal to slow climate change is set to be signed by more than 165 countries at the United Nations on Friday, the most states to endorse an international agreement on day one, a record backers hope will inspire swift implementation. Many states still need a parliamentary vote to formally approve the agreement. It will only enter into force when ratified by at least 55 nations representing 55 percent of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. U.N.
U.S. Will Sign Paris Agreement on Climate Change
The United States will sign the Paris Agreement on climate change this year regardless of the Supreme Court's decision to put a chunk of President Barack Obama's environmental action on hold, the U.S. climate envoy said on Tuesday. Todd Stern also said that Obama's successor, even if it is a Republican, would be unlikely to scrap the Paris deal as to do so would have negative diplomatic implications. The U.S. Supreme Court…
Climate Deal Details Remain Elusive
Exhausted global climate negotiators resumed wrestling over the language of an agreement on Thursday morning after talks that dragged through the night failed to bridge gaps between rich and developing countries. French Foreign Minister Lauren Fabius, who is chairing the U.N. conference, said he still planned to issue a penultimate draft on Thursday afternoon with as few disagreements or bracketed passages as possible to pave the way for a last round of revisions.
China Won't Cease Building on S. China Sea Isles
China said on Sunday it will continue to build military and civilian facilities on its artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea and the United States was testing it by sending warships through the area. "Building and maintaining necessary military facilities, this is what is required for China's national defence and for the protection of those islands and reefs," Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur.
U.N.'s Ban Praises Obama's Climate Plan
United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon applauded the Obama administration's power plant rule at a visit to the White House on Tuesday. In a meeting in the Oval Office, Ban said the rule shows the United States can change the world by being a leader to other countries on climate change. Obama said he pressed Ban to urge other nations to take on the fight against climate change. Reporting By Julia Edwards and Jeff Mason
U.N. Security Council Endorses Iran Nuclear Deal
The United Nations Security Council on Monday endorsed a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, but it will be able to re-impose U.N. penalties during the next decade if Tehran breaches the historic agreement. The 15-member body unanimously adopted a resolution that was negotiated as part of the agreement reached in Vienna last week between Iran and the world's major powers. In return for lifting U.S., EU and U.N.
Short, Flexible UN Climate Accord Sought for Paris Summit
A United Nations accord to slow global warming should be short, flexible and long-lasting to avoid complex re-negotiations every few years, according to a document prepared by France before a Paris summit in December. The deal will also have to ensure that governments do not backtrack on promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions despite a likely lack of sanctions, according to a briefing for climate ministers attending preparatory talks in Paris on July 20-21.
Oil Falls on Dollar, Yemen Talks, Libya Output
Oil prices fell on Monday as the Greek debt crisis boosted the dollar, making fuel more expensive to holders of other currencies, and as UN talks offered a chance for peace in Yemen where crude exporter Saudi Arabia is involved in a civil war. Brent crude oil dropped $1.47 to a low of $62.40 a barrel, before recovering to trade around $62.50, down $1.37, by 1240 GMT. U.S. light crude oil, also known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), fell to a low of $59.04, down 92 cents. U.N.
Countries May Ditch Pledges Under New Climate Agreement
Countries may ditch a detailed checklist for what their pledges under a new climate agreements should contain, given deep splits over their breadth and scope, and whether they should draw a clear line between rich and poor nations. A two-week Lima conference entered its critical phase on Tuesday, as ministers from dozens of countries joined their national negotiators. All countries have committed to sign a new climate agreement in Paris at the end of 2015, pledging climate action beyond 2020.
UN's Ban Concerned on Global Warming Action
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, expressing deep concern about slow action to combat climate change, told governments at U.N. talks in Lima on Tuesday there was no "time for tinkering" and urged a radical shift to greener economies. Ban said there was still a chance of limiting global warming to an internationally agreed ceiling of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times to limit more floods, droughts, desertification and rising sea levels.
Denmark Plans to Phase Out Coal by 2025
Denmark should ban coal use by 2025 to make the Nordic nation a leader in fighting global warming, adding to green measures ranging from wind energy to bicycle power, Denmark's climate minister said on Saturday. Denmark has already taken big steps to break reliance on high-polluting coal - wind turbines are set to generate more than half of all electricity by 2020 and 41 percent of people in Copenhagen cycle to work or school, higher than in Amsterdam.
UN Talks of Tough Global Climate Targets
A draft U.N. guide for slowing climate change says world greenhouse gas emissions may have to fall to a net zero this century but is vague about what each nation should do now. About 500 delegates, including scientists and government experts, are meeting in Copenhagen to edit the report, which is meant to guide policymakers in setting national goals for a global climate deal at a U.N. summit in Paris in late 2015. The draft…
DNV GL Supports Call to Put a Price on Carbon
DNV GL joins global push to put a price on carbon. Over 1,000 companies and 73 countries now support a price on carbon to start bringing down emissions. Speaking on the sidelines at the UN Climate Summit in New York, DNV GL Group Sustainability Officer Bjørn K. Haugland said the high-profile drive led by the World Bank Group calls on governments and business leaders to support a price on carbon. Seventy-three countries and 22 states…
Hollande Says France to Offer $1b to Climate Fund for Poor
French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday announced that France will contribute $1 billion to a near-empty global fund to help poor countries adapt to the effects of climate change as he addressed the United Nation's summit on climate change. "France will contribute a billion dollars over the next few years," he said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had said he wants more than 120 world leaders to make "bold pledges" about climate change at the New York summit but few developed countries have offered funds.
Statoil Ramps Up Carbon Pricing, Methane Reduction Efforts
Statoil CEO Helge Lund addresses the company's climate commitments today at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in New York. “Fighting climate change is vital,” says Lund. “More than 80% of greenhouse gas emissions are linked to the use of fossil fuels. Today, Lund will address the importance of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Oil and Gas Partnership on behalf of the founding partners at Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s press conference at the UN Climate Summit in New York.
Countries, Companies Mobilize Around Carbon Pricing Ahead of UN Summit
The World Bank will say Monday that 73 national and 11 regional governments and some 1,000 companies will join forces to push for policies setting a price on carbon emissions to encourage a shift to cleaner energy technologies. The announcement aims to build momentum for a high-profile UN summit on climate change on Tuesday that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hopes will mobilize governments and the private sector to make "bold commitments" to address climate change.
World Leaders Urged to Act on Carbon Pricing
More than 340 institutional investors representing $24 trillion in assets on Thursday called on government leaders attending next week's United Nations climate summit to set carbon pricing policies that encourage the private sector to invest in cleaner technologies. Firms signing a joint letter include BlackRock, Calvert Investments, BNP Paribas Investment Partners and Standard Bank. They want countries to set a price tag…
