President Joe Biden has said that the climate crisis is not America s fight alone, but a global one as he asserted that he pushed for the US to meet its international obligations to slow the impact of climate change. The climate crisis is not our fight alone, either. It s a global fight, Biden said in his first speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. He said that the United States accounts for less than 15 per cent of carbon emissions while the rest of the world accounts for 85 per cent. That s why I kept my commitment to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement on my first day in office, he said.
Newsletter 2021-04-29
Carolyn Cowan [04/29/2021]
– Fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos are believed to remain on Earth, and the species faces dire threats due to a low birth rate, habitat loss and fragmentation, and poaching.
– A new study finds that, despite its small size, the population retains significant genetic diversity, and likely has the genomic “toolkit” necessary to survive threats like climate change or disease.
– The findings are good news for conservationists, but also come with a warning: an analysis of a recently extinct subpopulation revealed that a rapid spike in inbreeding preceded their extinction.
– The research highlights dilemmas currently facing conservationists working to breed Sumatran rhinos in captivity: Should subspecies be mixed? And, when no alternatives exist, should captive rhinos be bred with their relatives?
ksuadminApril 28, 2021
President Jair Bolsonaro’s (non-party) speech at the Climate Leaders Summit convened by US President Joe Biden (22) on Thursday sparked the expected polarized reactions – his supporters praised the speech and government critics used adjectives as “shameful” and “incoherent” – but there were also those who celebrated the government’s change in tone.
Bolsonaro has pledged to double the resources for environmental inspection, sought to highlight Brazil at “the forefront of the fight against global warming” and called for international contributions, in accordance with what defends Minister Ricardo Salles (Environment).
For former Environment Minister Marina Silva, however, Brazil “always aims in the rear view” while other countries have bold goals. “It was shameful for the president to spend almost half of his speech asking the world for money for past environmental achievements, which his government has been trying to destroy for two
Translated from Portuguese by Thiago Sebben. Edited by Jamye Sharp.
Posted on April 28, 2021.
International relations scholars are well aware of a negotiation strategy that links different issues together and establishes concessions in certain areas in order to advance the discussion of other subjects. The issue linkage strategy assumes that the simultaneous discussion of more than one subject allows the establishment of a bargaining game that increases the odds of the United States reaching a consensus, and motivates the parties to remain committed to an agreement.
However, in the case of relations between countries with asymmetric capacities like the United States and Brazil this strategy can become an instrument of political subordination. This seems to be the case once again.
States and regions urged to boost climate ambition in wake of Climate Leaders Summit
Wind turbines in California, one of the chairs of the Under2 Coalition
States and regions urged to establish net zero targets in wake of flurry of new national goals announced last week at Climate Leaders Summit
California, Catalonia, and South Korea s Chungnam Province have teamed up to launch a major appeal for states and regions around the world to establish commitments to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century.
The Under2 Coalition, which brings together leaders of more than 220 regional and state governments around the world, said it was launching the global call to action in the wake of last week s US-hosted Climate Leaders Summit, which saw the national governments of US, Canada, and Japan significantly enhance their 2030 climate targets.