Environment | WPN World People News

Earthjustice, representing Sierra Club, filed an appeal Monday in California’s First District Court of Appeal challenging the Commission’s decision to allow San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) to build a controversial dirty gas plant in Carlsbad, CA. The appeal comes following an earlier finding by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) that the utility failed to first determine if clean energy resources were available to reduce or eliminate more carbon pollution.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the opening of High-Level Segment of COP21.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Katy Perry reads a unique weather report to draw attention to the devastating effects of climate change on the world’s children.

A global initiative to end routine gas flaring at oil production sites around the world has now been endorsed by 45 oil companies, governments and others, representing potential CO2 savings of 100 million tons a year.

North of Yinchuan, restored forests guard ancient Buddhist holy sites.

The Philippines Commission on Human Rights (CHR) announced that it will launch an investigation on December 10 (International Human Rights Day), which could hold fossil fuel companies responsible for the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events. This will be the world's first national human rights investigation into big polluters.

The African Union New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) launched Sunday the African Resilient Landscapes Initiative (ARLI). This initiative will be implemented through forest and ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, climate smart agriculture, and rangeland management. The World Bank Group and World Resources Institute will, as main partners, support the mobilization of financial and technical resources from multiple sources to design and implement country-specific strategies.

A delegation of 15 MEPs will take part in the UN climate conference in Paris, France, from Monday to Friday. The European Parliament says that the 2015 Protocol must be legally binding and ambitious from the outset, with five-year commitment periods. In a resolution voted in October, MEPs also proposed that a share of revenues from the EU carbon market allowances should be earmarked for climate finance, and that aviation and shipping sectors should initiate measures to curb their emissions.

Kumi Naidoo, the Greenpeace International Executive Director, has published an open letter to Prime Minister Modi expressing sympathy with those affected by the floods in Chennai, and saying the Indian leader could play a ‘heroic role’ at the Paris climate talks.

The contributions come under The Bonn Challenge, a global initiative launched by Germany and IUCN in 2011 to have 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded land under restoration by 2020. This target was endorsed by the UN Climate Summit in 2014 and extended to 350 million hectares under restoration by 2030.