Understanding Africa’s unmet needs at COP29
The just concluded COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, once again left Africa grappling with unfulfilled commitments from previous summits. Baku’s COP29 brought together close to 200 countries, highlighting the Global South’s critical need for financial support, technology transfer, and capacity building to adapt to escalating climate challenges. Nevertheless, major promises made...
Current in Planet
The global financial deadlock at COP29 must be confronted
As the world teeters on the brink of a climate catastrophe, the stakes at COP29 have never been higher and leaders must reckon with the urgency of implementing tangible action. For decades, international climate conferences have been long on rhetoric and short on meaningful action. The current negotiations in Baku...
More than one in three tree species at risk of extinction
An alarming new assessment has revealed that the number of threatened trees now outweighs all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians put together. According to the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, a third of the world’s trees are now at risk of extinction. This number is more than double that...
How realistic is Keir Starmer’s COP29 pledge?
The Prime Minister’s goals may be loud, but is anyone listening? Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s commitment for the UK to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035 at the COP29 climate summit has been hailed by some as a brave push for climate leadership. The pledge is marginally more ambitious...
COP29 summit Azerbaijan: live coverage
The 29th iteration of the Conference of the Parties is now underway in Baku, Azerbaijan. Over the next two weeks, we’ll bring you the essential information from each thematic day. Will national delegates make a genuine impact, or are we looking at another greenwashing fest? We’re back for yet another...
Himalayan glacial lakes are expanding at an alarming rate
Driven by climate change and as a result of rising temperatures, this is rapidly heightening the risk of floods that have the potential to devastate communities across the region. Over the past 13 years, the overall area of Himalayan glacial lakes has increased by more than 10 per cent, from...
Darjeeling zoo’s trailblazing efforts to save the endangered red panda
Not only has it successfully rewilded nine in the past two years – with plans to release a tenth soon – but has established India’s first genetic biobank facility to preserve the DNA of vulnerable Himalayan species. At the heart of Darjeeling Zoo’s success is its Topkeydara Conservation Centre, where orphaned or rescued red pandas are carefully rehabilitated and made ready for life back in the wild. Caretaker Sudhan Chhetri...
Which of our favourite foods could disappear in a warmer world?
The climate crisis poses risks to all living beings on Earth, including the plants and animals we choose to feed ourselves with. Which of our favourite ingredients could disappear from menus in a warmer world? When thinking about what life might be like warmer world, we tend to focus on the immediate dangers to vulnerable communities, endangered wildlife, and natural landscapes. These factors are of immense importance as they impact our...
Global warming confirmed to be supercharging deadly weather
A database of hundreds of studies compiled by Carbon Brief has provided overwhelming proof that previously ‘impossible’ heatwaves would have had virtually zero chance of happening without the additional heat trapped by fossil fuel emissions. Confirming what most of us already suspected, a new analysis has provided overwhelming proof that human activity is to blame for the ever-increasing intensification of deadly weather across the planet. ‘This study should...
India ranks lowest in Global Nature Conservation Index
The country’s environmental protection efforts are being scrutinised after it ranked 176th. India’s score of 45.5 out of 100 in this year’s Global Nature Conservation Index positions it among the worst-performing countries in the world. The assessment, conducted by Ben-Gurion University and BioDB, looked at land management, biodiversity threats, governance capacity, and future trends. India’s poor rating stems primarily from ineffective land management practices and escalating threats to its...
