A massive fire sparked by British troops in Kenya produced 7% of the military’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, it has emerged.
Monthly Archives: March 2023
UN request to the International Court of Justice regarding climate change
This ground-breaking resolution was reported by email by the group “Unfold Zero”. The details in the email are copied here:
UN General Assembly Seeks World Court Ruling on Climate Change
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| The UN General Assembly: Decides, in accordance with Article 96 of the Charter of the United Nations, to request the International Court of Justice, pursuant to Article 65 of the Statute of the Court, to render an advisory opinion on the following question: “Having particular regard to the Charter of the United Nations, the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the duty of due diligence, the rights recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the principle of prevention of significant harm to the environment, and the duty to protect and preserve the marine environment, (1) What are the obligations of States under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases for States and for present and future generations; (2) What are the legal consequences under these obligations for States where they, by their acts and omissions, have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment, with respect to: (a) States, including, in particular, small island developing States, which due to their geographical circumstances and level of development, are injured or specially affected by or are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change? (b) Peoples and individuals of the present and future generations affected by the adverse effects of climate change?” |
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UN New Youth Advisors on Climate Justice
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of seven young climate leaders selected to serve on his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134742
Their role is to act as climate justice advisers and push for the acceleration of bold climate goals based on their diverse expertise and grassroots work, across the different countries they represent.
The announcement was made as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gathers in Switzerland to wrap up its crucial Synthesis Report, the first since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 by 193 countries.
It’s expected to confirm that the world is not on track to mitigate climate change, but some of the findings show we can still keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, if dramatic emissions cuts can be made across different sectors.
“Climate change is the fight of our lives – and young people have been on the frontlines leading the charge for climate justice. The unrelenting conviction of young people is central to keeping climate goals within reach, kicking the world’s addiction to fossil fuels, and delivering climate justice,” said the Secretary-General.
Magnificent Seven: Who are the new advisers?
Ayisha Siddiqa (United States) is a Pakistani-American human rights and tribal land defender. She is the Co-founder of Polluters Out and Fossil Free University. Her work focuses on uplifting the rights of marginalized communities while holding polluting companies accountable at the international level. She is currently a research scholar at NYU School of Law. Ayisha was recently named a Time magazine Woman of the Year.
Beniamin Strzelecki (Poland) is a climate action and energy transition advocate. He coordinated a global network of youth-led energy organizations and worked with intergovernmental entities, including the International Renewable Energy Agency, Sustainable Energy for All, and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to create opportunities for young people in the energy transition field. He currently co-chairs the Student Energy Summit 2023 and is continuing his studies at New York University Abu Dhabi.
Fatou Jeng (The Gambia) is dedicated to grassroots, national, and international mobilization as a climate educator, frontline activist, and campaigner. Fatou founded Clean Earth Gambia in 2017, a youth-led, local climate organization that has mobilized thousands of Gambian young people to help marginalized and vulnerable communities build resilience to climate change.
Fatou holds a Masters’ degree in Environment, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex in the UK. She is also a gender climate negotiator for The Gambia to the UNFCCC and was recognized as a TOP 100 Young African Conservation Leader by the WWF, in 2022.
Jevanic Henry (Saint Lucia) is a climate and development professional and advocate. He previously served as Climate Change Special Envoy for the Caribbean Youth Environment Network, and was a UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow. Jevanic worked as a Foreign Service Officer with the Government of Saint Lucia, as well as with the climate change unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat and co-authored a practical guide on enhancing access to climate finance.
He is currently an Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Fellow, assigned to the Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia to the United Nations in New York.
Josefa Tauli (Philippines) is an Ibaloi-Kankanaey Igorot indigenous youth activist. She is Policy Cocoordinator of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), which serves as the youth constituency to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). An advocate for meaningful youth participation, human rights, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge, she has coordinated the engagement of youth delegations to more than 10 rounds of CBD negotiations during the development of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Joice Mendez (Colombia/Paraguay) is a migrant, social entrepreneur, and climate advocate focused on the nexus of water, food and energy justice. Joice co-founded several local and regional youth organizations, including the Moema Viezzer Environmental Education Observatory, the Latin American Observatory of Geopolitics of Energy, and the binational Youth Collective of the Parana Basin 3 from the Cultivating Good Water Initiative – a recipient of the UN-Water Best Practice Award in 2015.
Joice has also supported Paraguay’s National Conference of Youth since 2016 and the National Forum of Water and Youth, and continues to be active in YOUNGO, the Climate Reality Project América Latina.
Saoirse Exton (Ireland) is a climate justice activist with Fridays for Future. As a proud Gaelic speaker from Ireland, Saoirse believes that the wealth of knowledge held in traditional languages and storytelling, can re-establish the vital concept of Earth as sacred within capitalism-imposed mindsets. Saoirse is a member of the C40 Cities Global Youth and Mayors’ Forum, a high schooler, and a strong advocate of degrowth.
Youth and climate ambition
“As an organizer and youth activist, I have been working towards pushing the intergovernmental space further on climate ambition. It is a great honor to continue doing this work as an advisor to the Secretary-General,” said Ayisha Siddiqa.
Another key element for young people is that they are often part of local and regional conversations regarding climate change, but local issues can feel removed from conversations about global solutions.
“Coming from a small island developing state, the climate crisis continues to be relentless in negatively impacting lives and livelihoods. Our survival is now dependent on a global community which is unified in urgently advancing the climate agenda, with the power of young people being a catalyst to drive this much needed accelerated action,” said Jevanic Henry.
Members of the Youth Advisory Group will work widely in collaboration with other young leaders and consult with youth climate movements and leaders around the world, to incorporate different perspectives on climate solutions and report findings directly to the Secretary-General.
The Environmental Impact of the Conflict in Ukraine
It has been one year since the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and caused widespread environmental damage. A preliminary monitoring of the conflict in Ukraine undertaken last year by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners points to a toxic legacy for generations to come.
UNEP, the environment authority within the UN system, is supporting the Government of Ukraine on remote environmental impact monitoring and is preparing to undertake field-level impact assessments – expected to be a colossal task given the scale and geographical spread of reported incidents.
A 56-page report is available on the UNEP website. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/40746/environmental_impact_Ukraine_conflict.pdf
Here is the Executive Summary:
Executive Summary
Armed conflict is inherently destructive. Environmental damage that arises during conflict brings devastating consequences for natural resources, critical ecosystems and people’s health, livelihoods and security. The containment, mitigation and remediation of environmental impacts is, therefore, an essential part of response to and recovery from conflict.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is mandated to assist countries upon request, with pollution mitigation and control in areas affected by armed conflict or terrorism. Further, to aid in reducing environmental impacts from conflict, Member States adopted UNEA Resolution 3/1 to “work with national authorities and international organizations in the early identification of conflict pollution” and to “undertake field-based and post-crisis environmental assessment and recovery” in affected areas. The Government of Ukraine has requested assistance from UNEP in identifying the types of environmental impacts and assessments that will be required. This report was drafted as part of a preparatory process to assist Ukraine in recovery from the current conflict and to inform a
comprehensive post-conflict assessment.
During the conflict that began on 24 February 2022, Ukraine has experienced considerable environmental destruction. Preliminary monitoring of environmental impacts since the outset of the invasion by the Russian Federation points to substantial damage to urban and rural environments across a wide geographic area. Numerous incidents have caused pollution to air, water and land and degraded nature. Environmental damage carries risks both to Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Extensive field assessment work will be required to establish the character, magnitude and
significance of conflict-related environmental impacts and remediation requirements, including remote sensing and extensive ground-truthing, sampling and analysis, including in areas that (at the time of writing) are inaccessible due to ongoing hostilities. This assessment work will need to cover the full range of issues: impacts on nature, human health and safety, and biodiversity, urban centres burdened with hazardous debris, agricultural production facilities and chemical plants, fuel and metallurgical industries, waste and treatment facilities impacting terrestrial, freshwater
systems and marine environments. Based on initial monitoring work, the country and the region risk being burdened with a toxic legacy long after the conflict ends, as it must.
An initial challenge in commencing this essential work is a lack of existing systematic studies of environmental impacts and risks associated with the types and complexity of conflict-related environmental damage experienced in Ukraine. Previous studies, while having some similarities to the current conflict such as impacts on energy and water infrastructure, differ in scale and complexity. The lack of such studies may be due to operational challenges, the mix of
industry and land use, a lack of transparency relating to the types and composition of munitions and military vehicles and a breakdown of even the most basic environmental monitoring systems. Conversely, a wealth of environmental data and information is being collected by dynamic civil society actors – both national and international – and multiple international partners and the UN system.
This report was drafted and finalized while conflict had been ongoing for seven months. The report has made use of:
• reviews of official or peer-reviewed documentation on environmental and related human health impacts from selected past conflicts with some similar characteristics and issues with the current conflict in Ukraine (including Chechnya, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, eastern Ukraine and Yemen)
• Information from the Government of Ukraine and limited remote sensing information
• non-verified reports from social media posts and regular media to help frame issues that may be encountered and hence the approach and assessment required.
As a result of this review, preparation for essential field-based assessment work can be better informed of some of the likely challenges as well as the expertise that will be required. The report has summarised issues and impacts across six broad categories: chemical industries and chemicals associated with armed conflict; fuel and associated infrastructure; waste and waste infrastructure; urban and critical infrastructure; and damage to agriculture and to nature. It also outlines
governance and gender considerations and the assessment of cumulative impacts and system dynamics.
The report presents a snapshot – but by no means a comprehensive picture – of the damage inflicted on Ukraine’s environment and the potential environmental and public health impacts, informing priorities for field-level verification work.
Initial information shows that Ukraine, already burdened by a host of legacy environmental challenges, is now facing a compounded, multi-dimensional environmental crisis that has either exacerbated existing issues or added new ones. Ukraine’s government and society is grappling with multiple crises associated with chemicals, munitions and military equipment, the presence of a range of pollutants continuing to be released during the active phase of the conflict, damage inflicted to fuel storage facilities, industrial infrastructure, key infrastructure such as water, energy and waste management systems, urban areas, agricultural and natural areas. Assessing such damage will require a multitude of complex methods to establish the impacts and plan recovery activities.
It is essential that the ongoing conflict ends now to ensure greater damage to the environment and to people is averted. The obligation to protect the environment in times of armed conflict is reflected in international law and legal precedent, including in, but not limited to, the United Nations (UN) Charter, the Geneva Convention and other Statutes and Conventions.
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