Issues discussed on today’s Daily Climate Show include…
- The World Health Organisation has called for urgent climate action to prevent a global health catastrophe. WHO says countries should set ambitious national climate commitments if they are to sustain a healthy and green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. WHO’s report published today says air pollution causes 7 million deaths per year, poor diet 11 million deaths, and extreme diet another 365,000.
- Global wholesale gas prices are still rising, but they are affecting countries differently, according to their national energy mix. In the UK around half of electricity generation is powered by gas, but in France the bulk of their electricity comes from nuclear generation. Germany is heavily reliant on coal as is India to an even greater extent.
- Nigeria, Japan and Pakistan are among 24 new signatories to the Global Methane Pledge, which was first announced by the United States and EU in September. The Global Methane Pledge commits countries to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. Methane is the second largest cause of climate change after CO2.
- As the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) kicked off in Kunming, China has pledged to include biodiversity protection in its economic development plans in all regions and in all sectors.
- A solar flare was due to hit Earth today that could cause disruption to power grids. The flare was first observed by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Saturday. NOAA believes the geomagnetic storm could hit category G2.
- A group of environmental activists have barricaded themselves in a tunnel in a protest against the HS2 rail project. The group including veteran protester Dan Hooper aka ‘Swampy’ hope to remain in the tunnel on a HS2 construction site in Wendover, Buckinghamshire for a month. The police are continuing their efforts to evict them.
- At the UK premiere of his new film The Tender Bar George Clooney said he was hopeful, but not optimistic, that COP26 will achieve much progress – but it had a better chance than the US Congress.
Presenter Anna Jones was joined by guests Emily Shuckburgh, Climate Scientist and Director of Cambridge Zero and Dan Caesar, Chief Executive, Fully Charged Show, to discuss whether companies are taking net zero targets seriously.