G7 summit, Borgo Egnazia, Apulia, Italy, 13–15 June 2024
Energy, climate, environment — The G7 reiterated its determination to address the triple global crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. They remain steadfast in their commitment to :
- staying within the threshold of a 1.5°C increase in global temperature;
- halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030;
- holistically addressing energy security, the climate crisis and geopolitical risks.
The G7 Summit 2025 will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta!
Bonn Climate Conference – June 11
UN mid-year climate talks in prep for COP 29
- Focus: the amount of money developed countries need to mobilize each year from 2025 to support climate action in developing nations.
- There have been serious disagreements over how much this should be, who should be prioritized for finance, what form this money takes, and what counts as a “developed” country.
- Bonn Climate Conference on Tuesday ended in a stalemate as countries failed to make any concrete progress on the issue, or to advance other aspects of the Paris Agreement.
- What does this mean for COP29 (already dubbed the “Finance COP”)?
COP 29 — Nov. 11–24 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
SusGabe: Start some early fall actions, e.g. letters/communications!
COP 16 – Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Oct 21 – Nov 1 in Cali, Colombia.
Parties to the Convention are expected to show the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework.
- England brings in biodiversity rules to force builders to compensate for loss of nature.
- A biodiversity credit scheme this week that attempts to force all new road and house-building projects to benefit nature, rather than damage it.
- The “nature market,” called biodiversity net gain (BNG), means all new building projects must achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity or habitat. If a woodland is destroyed by a road, for example, another needs to be recreated. This can happen either on site or elsewhere
- It’s one of the most ambitious schemes
- Countries already hoping to copy the idea or use it to develop their own include Sweden, Singapore, Scotland and Wales
BIG game-changing solar energy shift happening
- The world’s biggest solar plant is now up and running in Urumqi, China. Its capacity is 6 billion kWh annually, enough to power a small country.
- Portugal runs on 91 % renewables and has the lowest energy prices in Europe.
- Uruguay transitioned away from fossil fuels and is now averaging 95% renewables.
- The people of Switzerland have voted yes to boosting renewables.
- Norway has unveiled Europe’s largest hydrogen plant. It runs on renewables and will produce sustainable shipping fuel and fossil-free