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11 May 2023 - NPWJ News Digest
Articles
Conflict and climate disasters combine to create record rise in displaced people
The Guardian, 11 May 2023
The number of people around the world who were forced to flee their homes leapt by a fifth last year, as a “perfect storm” of Russia’s assault on Ukraine and climate disasters brought displacement on an unprecedented scale. By the end of 2022 the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) – those forced from their homes but remaining within their country of residence – reached 71 million, according to figures published by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), up from 59.1 million in 2021. The number of movements made by people, often repeatedly, as they went in search of safety and shelter was also unprecedented, with the figure of 60.9m marking an increase of 60% on the previous year.
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Are militaries driving the climate crisis?
Al Jazeera, 10 May 2023
For years, climate activists have centered their work around stopping some of the world’s biggest polluters — from fossil fuel companies, to the meat industry, to industrial farming. And while they remain some of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis, there’s a lesser known climate culprit that’s often forgotten: the military. Experts have pointed out that the US Department of Defense is the world’s single largest greenhouse gas emitter, with the US military referred to as “one of the largest climate polluters in history.” In fact, research suggests that if all of the world’s militaries were a country they’d be the fourth largest emitter across the globe.
Italian oil firm Eni faces lawsuit alleging early knowledge of climate crisis
The Guardian, 09 May 2023
The Italian oil major Eni is facing the country’s first climate lawsuit, with environmental groups alleging the company used “lobbying and greenwashing” to push for more fossil fuels despite having known about the risks its product posed since 1970. Greenpeace Italy and the Italian advocacy group ReCommon aim to build on a similar case targeting the Anglo-Dutch oil major Royal Dutch Shell in the Netherlands to force Eni to slash its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. “The urgency of taking action against the climate crisis has prompted us to bring the first climate lawsuit in Italy against the country’s largest energy company,” said Matteo Ceruti, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
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Countries must forge ‘Global Blue Deal’ to protect the ocean: UNCTAD
UN News , 08 May 2023
That’s according to the UN Trade and Development body UNCTAD’s Trade and Environment Review 2023, published on Monday, which analyses the world’s $3-6 billion ocean economy, and assesses how human activity and multiple global crises have significantly impacted sectors like fishing, seafood, shipping and coastal tourism. The report, presented at the 3rd UN Trade Forum in Geneva, calls for a global trade and investment “Blue Deal” to sustainably use the ocean - home to 80 per cent of all life. “The ocean economy offers many opportunities. We must strike the right balance between benefitting from the ocean and protecting its resources,” UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno said.
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Climate change: Vietnam records highest-ever temperature of 44.1C
BBC News, 08 May 2023
Vietnam has recorded its highest ever temperature, just over 44C (111F) - with experts predicting it would soon be surpassed because of climate change. The record was set in the northern province of Thanh Hoa, where officials warned people to stay indoors during the hottest times of the day. Other countries in the region have also been experiencing extremely hot weather. Thailand reported a record-equalling 44.6C in its western Mak province. Meanwhile Myanmar's media reported that a town in the east had recorded 43.8C, the highest temperature for a decade. Both countries experience a hot period before the monsoon season but the intensity of the heat has broken previous records. In Hanoi, climate change expert Nguyen Ngoc Huy told AFP that Vietnam's new record was "worrying" given the "context of climate change and global warming".
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