5 h. ago Thousands hit streets of Belém to call for action during crucial Cop30 summit

Funeral for fossil fuels held as part of Great People’s March calling on governments to step up climate effortsThousands of people have turned out in the streets of Belém to demand urgent action on the climate crisis.It was the first major protest outside the annual climate talks since Cop26 four years ago in Glasgow, as the last three gatherings were held in locations with little tolerance for demonstrations – Egypt, Dubai and Azerbaijan. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Demonstrators take to streets of Belem at halfway point of UN climate talks

Demonstrators are marching in Belem, Brazil, at the halfway point of United Nations climate talks for what is typically their biggest day of protests during the event

Politics

13 h. ago Cop30 was meant to be a turning point, so why do some say the climate summit is broken?

Swamped by lobbyists and hobbled by a lack of urgency, there are fears Cop could become a sprawling spectacle that betrays those who depend on it mostThousands of diplomats, activists, journalists and lobbyists are gathering in the sweltering, tropical heat of Belém, at the mouth of the Amazon, for the Cop30 climate talks.Since Brazil was awarded the hosting duties three years ago, hopes have been high that the Amazonian Cop – taking place in the country that hosted the Earth summit where the global fight for the climate first began – could be a turning point in the fight against climate breakdown. Continue reading...

Politics

27 h. ago Protesters blockade Cop30 summit over plight of Indigenous peoples

Munduruku people demand to speak to Brazil’s president, saying they are never listened toCop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of the climate talks in BrazilProtesters blockaded the main entrance to the Cop30 climate conference for several hours early on Friday morning, demanding to speak to Brazil’s president about the plight of the country’s Indigenous peoples.About 50 people from the Munduruku people in the Amazon basin blocked the entrance with some assistance from international green groups, watched by a huge phalanx of riot police, soldiers and military vehicles. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago Row over definition of ‘gender’ hangs over Cop30 plans to support women

Advocates say conservative states’ push to define gender as ‘biological sex’ would backslide on decade-old language within the UNA row over the definition of the term “gender” threatens to bog down pivotal talks at the Cop30 climate summit.Before the UN talks in Brazil, hardline conservative states have pushed to define gender as “biological sex” over their concerns trans and non-binary people could be included in a major plan to ensure climate action addresses gender inequality and empowers women. Continue reading...

Politics

54 h. ago Despite America’s absence, Trump’s influence looms large over Cop30

In this week’s newsletter: Fear of retribution from the unpredictable president has left climate summit negotiators feeling nervous and vulnerable• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereUnder Donald Trump, America has not only jettisoned any effort to deal with the climate crisis, but has also attempted to stymie moves by other nations to shift to cleaner forms of energy, such as solar and wind.The climate crisis is “the greatest con job perpetrated by the world”, Trump told the UN in September, urging other governments to stick to oil and gas (preferably drilled in the US, of course) and ditch the “scam” of renewable energy.World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report findsFossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn peopleChina’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis findsCalifornia governor calls Trump ‘an invasive species’ at Cop30 climate talksTussles break out between protesters an...

Politics

67 h. ago World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report finds

Fossil fuel emissions have hit a record high while many nations have done too little to avert deadly global heatingThe world is still on track for a catastrophic 2.6C increase in temperature as countries have not made sufficiently strong climate pledges, while emissions from fossil fuels have hit a record high, two major reports have found.Despite their promises, governments’ new emission-cutting plans submitted for the Cop30 climate talks taking place in Brazil have done little to avert dangerous global heating for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Climate Action Tracker update. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago A flotilla kicks off the People's Summit for activists at UN climate talks

As United Nation climate talks get underway in Belem, a different kind of conference is kicking off: the People’s Summit, a gathering of activists, organizers, environmentalists and Indigenous groups from around the world

Politics

3 d. ago Tussles break out between protesters and security at Cop30 in Brazil

Dozens storm venue at climate conference that has encouraged NGOs and Indigenous groups to play unprecedented role in talksThere were tussles between protesters and security guards at the Cop30 climate talks late on Tuesday night, when a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people stormed the conference centre in Belém.Several dozen men and women, some in brightly coloured feather headdress, ran through the entrance, pushing at least one door off its hinges, before striding through the metal detectors and entering the Blue Zone. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Removing CO2 from atmosphere vital to avoid catastrophic tipping points, leading scientist says

10bn tonnes of C02 emissions must be removed from the air every year to limit global heating to 1.7C, says Johan RockströmCop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of the climate talks in BrazilRemoving carbon from the atmosphere will now be necessary to avoid catastrophic tipping points, one of the world’s leading scientists has warned, as even in the best case scenario the world will heat by about 1.7C.Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who is one of the chief scientific advisers to the UN and the Cop30 presidency, said 10bn tonnes of carbon dioxide needed to be removed from the air every year even to limit global heating to 1.7C (3.1F) above preindustrial levels. Continue reading...

Economics

5 d. ago ‘It will never be forgiven’: UN climate chief warns world to act or face disaster

Faltering governments will be blamed for famine and conflict abroad, and face stagnation and inflation at home, says climate chief at start of Cop30Governments failing to shift to a low-carbon economy will be blamed for famine and conflict abroad, and will face stagnation and rising inflation at home, the UN’s climate chief warned on Monday at the start of the Cop30 climate talks.Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN framework convention on climate change, addressed the gathering of ministers and high-ranking officials from nearly 200 countries, in a stark portrayal of the price of failure on the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Climate talks start with call for faster action and more togetherness, but without the US

U.N. climate negotiations begin Monday with leaders urging urgency and cooperation to curb global warming

Politics

5 d. ago Rich countries have lost enthusiasm for tackling climate crisis, says Cop30 chief

Brazil’s André Corrêa do Lago says countries should follow China’s lead on clean energy as conference beginsCop30: what are the main issues?Net zero to NDCs: your Cop30 jargon busterRich countries have lost enthusiasm for combating the climate crisis while China is surging ahead in producing and using clean energy equipment, the president of the UN climate talks has said.More countries should follow China’s lead instead of complaining about being outcompeted, said André Corrêa do Lago, the Brazilian diplomat in charge of the Cop30 conference, which begins on Monday. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago UN climate talks start with nations pushing for action despite broken consensus

The UK will be focused on discussing how to accelerate climate action as well as defending multilaterialism itself.

Politics

6 d. ago Rachel Reeves claims she wants to cut our bills but this is the hidden tax experts tell me is coming

Thank goodness energy and climate secretary Ed Miliband is out of the country for a while, heading up the UK's delegation at the COP30 climate talks in Brazil .

Economics

8 d. ago How thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists got access to UN climate talks – and then kept drilling

Exclusive: Research shows oil, gas and coal firms’ unprecedented access to Cop26-29, blocking urgent climate actionMore than 5,000 fossil fuel lobbyists were given access to the UN climate summits over the past four years, a period marked by a rise in catastrophic extreme weather, inadequate climate action and record oil and gas expansion, new research reveals.Lobbyists representing the interests of the oil, gas and coal industries – which are mostly responsible for climate breakdown – have been allowed to participate in the annual climate negotiations where states are meant to come in good faith and commit to ambitious policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Over 100 US leaders to attend Cop30 climate summit as Trump stays away

Dozens of US state and local leaders will be at talks in Brazil with president’s team expected to send no representativesThe Trump administration appears to be sitting out this month’s United Nations climate talks known as Cop30, telling the Guardian it will not deploy any high-level representatives to the negotiations.But dozens of US subnational leaders attend to promote their climate efforts. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago On eve of UN climate talks in Brazil, a call for less talking and more doing

World leaders and diplomats have gathered for 30 years to tackle climate change, but progress has been slow

Politics

2 w. ago About 700 killed in Tanzania election protests, opposition says

Demonstrators took to streets after president’s main challengers were excluded from ballotAbout 700 people have been killed during three days of election protests in Tanzania, the main opposition party has said.Protests erupted on election day on Wednesday over what demonstrators said was the stifling of the opposition after the exclusion of key candidates from the presidential ballot. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago John Swinney to snub COP30 talks billed as most significant climate summit since Paris Agreement

The summit is expected to hold the most significant climate talks since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.

Politics