Climate Watch: UN to adopt global plastics treaty at fifth environment assembly

Despite directly impacting our communities, health and livelihood, climate-related reports usually take a back seat to dominant news beats like politics and business. Climate Watch aims to ensure you never miss important stories on climate change and actions being taken towards limiting its impact.

Here is a round-up of last week’s climate stories:

• The United Nations (UN) is set to adopt a global treaty on plastics at its fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) happening this week in Nairobi. More than 100 nations convening are expected to take the first steps toward establishing this historic global treaty which would be legally binding on nations to tackle the plastic crisis afflicting the planet.

• The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its recent report, found that climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and that only urgent action can help secure humanity’s future. Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, said that further “delay means death”, while Inger Anderson, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said the report sends a message to humanity. She said humanity has spent centuries treating nature as its worst enemy and that climate change isn’t lurking around the corner, waiting to pounce, rather “it’s already upon us, raining down blows on billions of people”. 

• Sean Melbourne, the head of climate change and energy at the British High Commission in Abuja, says the UK is set to begin an urban climate action programme in Lagos as part of its efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change in Nigeria as well as in Africa’s urban cities. In an interview with Premium Times, Melbourne said Lagos is one of four African cities pioneering the programme and contributing to the fight against climate change. 

• Heifer International, an organisation working to eradicate poverty and hunger, said it collaborated with Leadway, Olam and PULA — agricultural companies — to insure rice farmers against climate change. Through the introduction of the Area Yield Index Insurance (AYII), a solution to protect farmers from bad yields, Heifer international said it  aims to see that farmers do not suffer loss, ensuring the sustainability of their agribusinesses and incomes. Read more on this report here.