愛污传媒

Climate and Environment

    • Takeaways from Friday's events at UN climate conference known as COP28

    Share

    Friday was a day for speechmaking at the United Nations annual climate conference known as COP28, as heads of state each gave short speeches to deliver their views on the planet's climate crisis, what their nation is doing and what they think others should do.

    It was also a day of sadness, as not far away in the Middle East, Israeli airstrikes and ground fighting resumed in the Gaza Strip after a week-long truce in the Israel-Hamas war to exchange hostages and prisoners.

    And it was a day for nations to announce deals or pledges aimed at demonstrating their commitments to take action to stem climate change.

    Some takeaways from Friday's events in Dubai:

    LEADERS SUMMIT

    World leaders focused on the scale and imminent threat of climate change and the drastic action needed to curtail global warming before it becomes an even worse catastrophe. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took aim at fossil fuels. That industry is in the spotlight at these talks. COP28 is hosted in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates and the conference president, Sultan al-Jaber, also heads Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.

    Saving the planet from climate change and keeping warming within the Paris Agreement's goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) means eliminating oil and gas use, Guterres said.

    "Not reduce, not abate. Phase out," Guterres said.

    The sickness of climate change is something only the world's leaders can cure, he said.

    "We are miles from the goals of the Paris agreement and minutes to midnight for the 1.5 degree limit, but it is not too late," the secretary-general said. "We can -- you can -- prevent planetary crash and burn."

    Other leaders said the countries had come together and recognized the threat greenhouse gases posed, but that far more was needed. And now.

    Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said by 2030 his country would stop deforestation. Maintaining Brazil's rainforests is vital for slowing climate change. He said there had been too many "eloquent and empty speeches."

    Speed, leaders agreed, is key.

    GAZA LOOMS LARGE

    As leaders highlighted the threat of melting glaciers and a hotter, more dangerous planet, the Israel-Hamas war hung over the proceedings, with a weeklong cease-fire coming to an end earlier in the day. Several speakers voiced sympathy for Palestinians, connecting their suffering with the threat of climate change.

    "Let's be inclusive of the most vulnerable Palestinians severely impacted by the war," Jordan's King Abdullah said.

    Guterres told other leaders that the consequences of climate change were dire and action was needed to prevent the environment from crashing, but also said, "Conflicts are causing immense suffering and intense emotion."

    Those comments came as the conflict's weeklong cease-fire ended. Israel resumed its strikes on Gaza, while militants there fired rockets into Israel. Jordan's King Abdullah raised the plight of "vulnerable Palestinians" and an environmental group had handbills reading, "Cease-fire Now."

    Israel President Isaac Herzog didn't give a speech at the summit, although he had been on the schedule. And Iran's delegation left Friday's proceedings to show its protest against the presence of Israeli officials, state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MONEY

    It was a day of pledged money and pronouncements of ambitious plans.

    A group of 36 countries co-chaired by Germany and Chile aims to ambitiously tackle industrial emissions. It's called the "Climate Club," which first arose at a Group of Seven summit last year and has now formally launched. The aim is to achieve industrial growth while lowering the sector's emissions.

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the transition to a climate-neutral economy "will work only together, not against each other, and that is the fundamental idea behind this climate club" -- even if countries are pursuing different paths. He said it includes many countries from the "global South."

    It doesn't yet include big emitters such as China and India, but Scholz said many countries have an interest in joining.

    Other announcements included financial commitments. Host country UAE announced a $30 billion fund aimed at expanding renewables in developing countries.

    Vietnam launched its plan for how it'll spend the $15.5 billion that rich nations have pledged to hasten its pivot away from fossil fuels as a part of the Just Energy Transition Partnership or JETP at the UN Climate Change conference in Dubai.

    European Union president Ursula von der Leyen said that the plan would significantly boost Vietnam's ability to get electricity from renewable sources -- from a planned 36 per cent of the total mix to 47 per cent. That's in line with Vietnam's own federal energy plan which aims at getting nearly half of its electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind, along with hydropower by 2030.

    Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to end new construction at home of unabated coal fired power plants, in a show of clearer determination than in the past, toward achieving net-zero.

    ----

    Associated Press writers David Keyton, Seth Borenstein, Jon Gambrell and Malik Harb contributed from Dubai; Mari Yamaguchi from Tokyo, Geir Moulson from Berlin and Aniruddha Ghosal from Hanoi.

    ------

    Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP's climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa鈥檚 south end on Thursday.

    Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.

    The federal government allowed 30-year mortgage amortizations for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds in August, and the new rules are set to expand in December to everyone looking to buy a newly-constructed home.

    Canada

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa鈥檚 south end on Thursday.

    • NEW

      NEW

      The GoFundMe page for the family of an employee found dead at a Halifax Walmart last weekend has paused donations after almost $200,000 was raised in roughly 24 hours.

    • An infant has died and a woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after they were pulled from a burning home in the city's west end overnight.

    • Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant said he was 'sick to his stomach' at the revelations about sexual abuse at a youth rehabilitation centre in Riviere-des-Prairies.

    • Five years after a 16-year-old boy was intentionally struck by a vehicle in East York and left for dead, police say they are still searching for the driver and pleading for the passenger to speak to investigators.

    • An unusual item was found parked at the bottom of the historic Rideau Canal as Parks Canada drained the water this week 鈥 electric scooters.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    • It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    • A New Westminster, B.C., man has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography in what police say is becoming a more common and resource-intensive kind of investigation with the rise of AI-generated images.

    • Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for Metro Vancouver and much of Vancouver Island as a storm system is expected to ravage British Columbia's south coast.

    • An evacuation order for six properties in the hard-hit North Vancouver neighbourhood of Deep Cove has been lifted, the district says.

    • An infant has died and a woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after they were pulled from a burning home in the city's west end overnight.

    • Five years after a 16-year-old boy was intentionally struck by a vehicle in East York and left for dead, police say they are still searching for the driver and pleading for the passenger to speak to investigators.

    • Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.

    • The Alberta legislature is set to reconvene on Monday and the Danielle Smith government will be providing more details about its plans for the session.

    • A new survey focused on the concerns of Calgarians says residents are mainly concerned about the quality of roads and amount of traffic in the city.

    • An animal rights group is calling on the Calgary Humane Society and Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to launch investigations into a semi-truck crash in Calgary on Tuesday that left 17 cows dead.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa鈥檚 south end on Thursday.

    • An unusual item was found parked at the bottom of the historic Rideau Canal as Parks Canada drained the water this week 鈥 electric scooters.

    • The Ottawa Police Service says 17 vehicles have been taken out of service during the execution of a safety blitz this week in the capital.

    • Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant said he was 'sick to his stomach' at the revelations about sexual abuse at a youth rehabilitation centre in Riviere-des-Prairies.

    • A man and a woman are dead after a house fire west of the Island of Montreal in the municipality of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

    • Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough.

    • A pair of struggling teams desperate to change their fortunes will hit the ice when the Edmonton Oilers play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

    • People looking for extra help to remove snow around their homes can now apply for assistance from the city this winter.

    • Some Edmonton public school support staff walked off the job Thursday morning, after the province stepped in on Wednesday to prevent strike action.

    • NEW

      NEW

      The GoFundMe page for the family of an employee found dead at a Halifax Walmart last weekend has paused donations after almost $200,000 was raised in roughly 24 hours.

    • Gas prices dropped slightly in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick overnight, while there was no change on Prince Edward Island for the second week in a row.

    • The Halifax Regional Municipality will soon be home to three new schools that will replace aging infrastructure and meet the new demands of the communities.

    • The U.S. presidential election between Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump is attracting interest north of the border.

    • The Manitoba man who brutally murdered his partner and two young children stood in court, voice wavering, and apologized for his actions that ended the lives of three people he said he loved very much.

    • Manitoba鈥檚 police watchdog is investigating after an RCMP officer shot a suspect who allegedly stole a vehicle and tried to carjack another vehicle.

    • The Saskatchewan Party鈥檚 planned marshals service was under the spotlight Thursday, as the NDP revealed the government paid over $40,000 for fewer than 100 hats for the new officers' uniforms.

    • Saskatchewan's two major political parties promised Thursday to work with federal partners on finding the best deal for addressing homelessness if they win Monday's provincial election.

    • A man is dead and two other people were injured in a two vehicle collision north of Regina on Wednesday evening.

    • People in the Weber Street East and Madison Avenue North area of Kitchener may need to find an alternate route this morning as police investigate a stabbing.

    • Fire crews responded to a house fire in St. Clements Thursday night.

    • A Kitchener man has been charged with arson after playground equipment was set on fire earlier this week.

    • A former tire recycling company in Saskatoon is announcing additional layoffs months after a dispute with the provincial government.

    • Saskatchewan's two major political parties promised Thursday to work with federal partners on finding the best deal for addressing homelessness if they win Monday's provincial election.

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP is calling off its dangerous persons alert after two people were arrested in the Tobin Lake area Thursday afternoon.

    • Two Americans who veered into the Canadian side of Lake Huron and caught fish during the National Walleye Tour last year have been fined by an Ontario court.

    • Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.

    • Two people 鈥 one from Timmins, the other from Kapuskasing -- have been fined more than $7,000 for camping violations, including empty septic tanks directly onto the ground.

    • The 18th annual Dreamcatcher Foundation Gala honoured trailblazing Indigenous leaders with an awards ceremony Thursday night in Caledonia, Ont.

    • Around 7:20 p.m. on Thursday, emergency services were called to the 700 block of Exeter Road after getting a 911 call about an unresponsive man.

    • Ther use of a search warrant on Walpole Island First Nation has netted over $500,000 in drugs. On Oct. 18, several agencies including Lambton OPP and Walpole Island Police Service responded to an address on Union Hal Road.

    • As Barrie faces a housing shortfall, builders are looking to the skies, developing condo towers, including one that stands out unlike anything the city has ever seen.

    • Ontario Premier Doug Ford blasted a recent vote by County of Simcoe council to instill pay increases for councillors during an unrelated news conference Friday morning.

    • OPP executed a search warrant at a Midland home address.

    • breaking

      breaking

      The Windsor Police Service is investigating a suspicious death in south-central Windsor.

    • Member of Parliament for Windsor West, Brian Masse, stood in parliament today, saying the government is ignoring Windsorites by allowing the upcoming Ambassador Bridge deal to continue.

    • Issues include benefits, wages, working conditions, contracting out/work ownership and getting union representation for staff.

    • Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for Metro Vancouver and much of Vancouver Island as a storm system is expected to ravage British Columbia's south coast.

    • A New Westminster, B.C., man has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography in what police say is becoming a more common and resource-intensive kind of investigation with the rise of AI-generated images.

    • Nearly a week after the big night, there's still not a declared winner in the B.C. election.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass deserves a better shot at becoming a significant tourism hub than the UCP government is giving it, an NDP shadow minister said as the southwestern Alberta community gears up for a coal mining plebiscite.

    • A three-game road trip across the prairies got off on a sour note Wednesday night as the Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Calgary Hitmen 4-2.

    • A town in southern Alberta will be one of the first to let golf carts be driven on select roads as part of a provincial pilot program.

    • A 44-year-old suspect has been charged after police in Sault Ste. Marie spotted a vehicle running in a parking lot Thursday night.

    • Two Americans who veered into the Canadian side of Lake Huron and caught fish during the National Walleye Tour last year have been fined by an Ontario court.

    • The president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce says that while there is a lot of concern around the provincial economy, northern business owners are the most confident about the current opportunity and growth.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒