Activists from Greenpeace Germany peacefully protested the import of soya from destroyed forest and savanna regions in Brazil, expected to be carried on the cargo ship “Hiroshima Star” in the Lower Weser river of Germany. The large-scale cultivation of soya plays a major role in emissions, the NGO noted.
Nine Pacific islands threatened by the adverse effects of climate change expressed their concern about the lack of ambition shown by developed nations on climate crisis and signed the Nadi Bay Declaration, urging for immediate action on GHG emissions, including shipping.
The European Commission elected a new President. Ursula von der Leyen, the new President of the European Commission who won MEPs’ votes, has recently presented her ambitious vision for a greener Europe. Namely, Mrs. Von der Leyen urged for immediate climate and environmental action that could transform Europe over the next five years. However, some of her goals contravene those of the shipping industry’s as set by the IMO.
The Panama Canal and UN Environment signed a cooperation agreement to join efforts on sustainable development and combating climate change. The agreement includes the exchange of experiences and knowledge, the development of programs and research in areas of shared interest, and human resources training across both institutions.
The average global temperature in June was 1.71 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 59.9 degrees (15.5 °C), making it the hottest June in the 140-year record, according scientists from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The speed and extent of global warming is more than any similar event in the past 2,000 years, researchers say. As they explain, famous historic events like the ‘Little Ice Age’ do not compare with the scale of warming that is being experienced over the last century.
Boat traffic on Europe’s Rhine river came to a halt for the first time ever last year, because of the fact that shrinking alpine glaciers and drought made the key transport artery impossible to sail through. These conditions could take place once again in a few weeks.
A newly-published study presented the idea of ‘artificial snow’ could prevent further ice melting and could stop the West Antarctic Ice Sheet from sliding into the ocean. The scientists launched an engineering project to blanket the ice sheet’s surface.
The decarbonisation of global energy supplies to mitigate climate change will have significant implications for the global shipping industry. If the Paris Agreement goals are met, the fossil fuel cargo base that shipping serves would experience an aggressive and prolonged transformation, according to a report from Maritime Strategies International.
Antarctica is the highest, coldest, and windiest place on Earth. This frozen continent may seem irrelevant to our daily lives at first site, but it is vital to our survival, as it plays a huge role in how the entire planet and the climate function. Antarctica accommodates 90% of the global ice and helps keep the planet cool and liveable.
