Earth is very resourceful for the existence of living beings. Unexpected and continuing natural occurrences provide further resources, but can also be detrimental to us and our environments. For example, some of the natural occurrences are essential to our existence, such as rainfall, while others pose threats to our living conditions and survival, such as extreme heat, volcanic eruption, and flooding. Climate change is an ongoing growing threat that is affecting the survival of all living creatures on earth.
For many years, governments and civil society groups in the global South have been demanding that their countries should have easier, low-cost access to green technologies. These are meant to bring several environmental benefits including reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Responding to such demands, COP27 extended the Technology Mechanism of the UN Climate Convention.
Tens of millions of people affected, for days and weeks, in all sectors. Significant and widespread disruption and impacts on the environment, agriculture, industry, energy and utilities, emergency services, transport, and cities. Red extreme weather warnings, temperature records broken, and declaration of a national health emergency.
Welcome to drought in the UK, 2022.
Last year I was privileged to attend COP26 in Glasgow as an official observer for the Open University. I’d heard plenty of negative comments about the previous COPs from activist friends, but I was glad to have the opportunity to experience one for myself. It was an insightful even fascinating week. You can read my blog here:
Climate change is not new. Ever since there was a climate on Earth, repeated cycles of ice ages and warming have occurred naturally over billions of years.
Since October 2020, The Open University Graduate School have planted a tree for each graduating PhD and Professional Doctorate student at either:
COP27 is the first COP to place food and the transformation of agrifood systems as an important part of the solution to create climate safety. The 2022 Global Report on Food Crises from the FAO finds that 193 million people faced acute global food insecurity in 53 countries.
Not-so green screens
In our digital age of movie and television consumption, the language we use to talk about engaging with moving images has transformed. We ‘stream’ shows. Images are projected onto ‘green’ screens. Many of us who use computers – filmmakers, broadcasters, and audiences alike – store files on the ‘cloud.’ With digital’s organically coded vocabulary evoking water and air, the harmful mass production of analogue technologies, such as plastic film strips and DVDS, might seem like a relic from the past.
Geopolitical tensions in Asia have drawn attention to the precarious place of Taiwan in international relations. Taiwan is a self-ruling island with its own government, constitution and laws. Taiwan as a geopolitical entity has existed in its present form since 1949, when the Republic of China initially set up a government in exile on the island after being defeated by Mao Zedong's Communist army. Despite developing into a de-facto independent state and a flourishing democracy in the decades since, Taiwan is today not recognised by the United Nations.
One year has passed since Glasgow hosted the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference – or COP26 for short. The climate jargon of huddles and NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) may have long left Scotland, but the global climate negotiations rumble on.
The baton passes to Egypt for COP27 this month. Now is a good time to take stock of what’s happened since COP26, and look forward to what we might expect at COP27.
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