Category: Current Affairs

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UN Human Rights Committee Sides with Torres Strait Islanders

1 October 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

There has been an update on the case of the Torres Strait Islanders’ struggle for protection against the threat of climate-induced displacement. Already mentioned in an earlier Earth Refuge article, these low-lying lands, mainly populated by First Nations Australians, are facing a sea level rise which is double that of the global average. In addition to the direct damages caused by the floods themselves (such as infrastructure and crop destruction), the latter also deplete environmental resources such as edible fish, thereby jeopardising food security in the region.

Back in 2019, a group of local residents filed a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee, denouncing the Australian government’s failure to adapt to climate change and to protect impacted communities (e.g., by upgrading seawalls). Last week, the UN Human Rights Committee finally issued a decision declaring that “Australia’s failure to adequately protect indigenous Torres Islanders against adverse impacts of climate change violated their rights to enjoy their culture and be free from arbitrary interferences with their private life, family, and home”. Consequently, the Committee has urged the Australian government to “compensate the indigenous Islanders for the harm suffered, engage in meaningful consultations with their communities to assess their needs, and take measures to continue to secure the communities’ safe existence on their respective islands”.

In this case, individuals successfully took the matter into their own hands to compensate for their government’s failure to take relevant climate action. This development is indicative of what appears to be a trend of change in the global political landscape, where civil society actors and even individuals are seizing the power that national systems fail to exert to protect their people.

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Pakistan After the Floods: Health Risks and Weakened Economy

28 September 2022 – Darina Kalamova

In 2022, Pakistan suffered unprecedented floods, brought on by a severe heatwave, followed by heavier-than-normal rains. According to recent data, the record rainfall was five times the 30-year average.

Homes, roads, railways, livestock, and crops were lost and thousands of schools and healthcare facilities were destroyed.  Southern Sindh, the most affected region, is still in a critical situation, with many areas still submerged.

International Response 

In September 2022 the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, visited Pakistan. During a press conference, he called for global financial support for the country and tougher action on climate change.

Pakistan is experiencing the worst effects of climate change although it is responsible for only around 0.6% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Guterres added that the international community should acknowledge this and especially the countries with a bigger contribution to climate change.

Health Risks 

The UN and humanitarian partners have delivered more than one million life-saving items, including food, clean water and healthcare essentials. In September, the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund announced a $7 million disbursement and the UN launched a $160 million appeal to help Pakistan deal with the floods. 

According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, the relief missions are slow, and more than half a million people are still living in makeshift camps. This is increasing the risk of diseases and health professionals are already reporting surges in dengue, malaria and severe gastric infections. For example, waterborne diseases have pushed daily patient numbers to  90,000 in Sindh as access to health services, especially in rural areas, is still very limited. 

Economy

Agriculture makes up nearly a fourth of Pakistan’s gross domestic product. At least four million hectares of agricultural land have been damaged and key sources of income such as cotton and rice production are in danger of collapse.

Experts are concerned that with nearly half the country’s crops washed away, Pakistan is on the verge of a severe food crisis.  This is very likely to have international implications as well. The country is the fourth-largest global rice exporter and any dramatic drop in exports will negatively affect the global food market.

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Activists File First-ever Climate Lawsuit Against Russia

Snow storm in the Red Square, Moscow (Credit: Flickr/Vladimir Varfolomeev)

24 September 2022 – by Cosmo Sanderson

A group of activists have filed the first-ever climate lawsuit against Russia’s government, demanding urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions in a country that is warming twice as fast as the global average. 

The lawsuit was filed in Russia’s supreme court by plaintiffs including Ekozashita or ‘Eco-defence’ and the Moscow Helsinki Group, founded in the 1970s to expose human rights abuses in the Soviet Union.

In the 13 September filing seen by Reuters, the group says that “while temperatures around the world have risen by about 1°C compared to pre-industrial levels over the past 50 years, in Russia they have risen by 2.5°C and this ratio will continue or even worsen in the future.”

The group says the lawsuit is the first of its kind to be accepted by a Russian court.

Russia has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 70% of their 1990 level by 2030. By 2050, it says it will cut emissions to 20% of the 1990 level. 

But the group says the only way Russia can meet its obligations under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement is to reduce its emissions to 31% of 1990 levels by 2030; and to 5% of 1990 levels by 2050. 

Failure to meet those more ambitious targets could seriously imperil a country that has two thirds of its territory in the Arctic North, the group argues.

Those targets will only be made tougher by Russia’s war with Ukraine, which has aside from its immediate environmental destruction also prompted a reported global “gold rush” for new fossil fuel infrastructure. 

Eighteen activists are also signatories to the lawsuit and the group told The Guardian that it faces “considerable risks” in taking a public stand in a country known for brutal crackdowns against dissent – especially following the invasion of Ukraine. 

However, by taking the government to court, the group hopes that it will “save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.”

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The Number of Fires in The Amazon Increases in 2022

19 September 2022 – by Darina Kalamova

Tropical rainforests stay humid throughout the year and fires aren’t a natural phenomenon there.

This means that nearly all blazes currently burning in the Amazon are started by people in service of mining, logging, and agriculture. Farmers start blazes to clear land for other uses, such as pasture and crops. Illegal loggers and miners use them to hide their activities or to drive traditional communities out of their land.   

Climate change and global warming are exacerbating the situation as well. They lead to higher temperatures and drier conditions, making it impossible to keep the fires under control. Without regular rainfall the forest shifts from being fire-resistant to fire-susceptible. 

The Brazilian Amazon

The Brazilian Amazon is affected most, primarily due to weakened law enforcement and lack of political will.  In 2022, 4000 square kilometers of forest have been cleared away, marking a 17% increase over the previous year.

August and September typically mark the forest’s dry season. August recorded the highest number of fires in a month, surpassing previous years. In fact, on August 22 more than 3,300 fire alerts were reported in a day,  the worst number in the last 15 years.  September is painting a similar picture as the first week of the month had more fires than in all of September 2021.

Thick clouds of smoke cover towns in the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Pará for weeks at a time, and smoke inhalation is becoming a serious health risk for the local population. The blazes also threaten the forest’s biodiversity and the global climate. Scientists warn that the rainforest’s carbon-storing potential is crucial, and without it, the planet is headed for an ecological disaster.

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Native American Tribe Members Become First US Climate Migrants

Isle de Jean Charles

17 September 2022 – by Cosmo Sanderson

Members of a Native American tribe have reportedly become the first climate migrants in the United States (US) as they begin a process of relocating from the sinking island their ancestors made home two centuries ago.

The Jean Charles Choctaw Nation has in the last few weeks started leaving Isle de Jean Charles – a slender island around 80 miles southwest of New Orleans in the US state of Louisiana – as part of a long-planned resettlement program. 

When the US government issued US$48 million grant to resettle residents of the island in 2016, it was said to be the first-ever federally funded effort in the country to move an entire community due to global warming. 

Many residents have already left the island, and the 100-or-so who remain are overwhelmingly of Native American descent. 

The Jean Charles Choctaw Nation descends from three Native American tribes that fled to the island to escape forced relocation under the Indian Removal Act passed by the US government in 1830.

Since 1995, however, the island that was once a refuge for the community has lost 98% of its land mass – a 320-acre skeleton of what it used to be. 

The only road connecting Jean Charles to the mainland often floods due to high winds or the tide, leaving the community stranded. 

The tribe says that the resettlement program, which has seen many residents move to the town of Schriever around 60 kilometres northwest, has been beset by years of “delays, confusion, and stress” caused by state and federal governments. 

According to the tribe, the resettlement has also been carried out “without meaningful consultation with, or the explicit consent from” its leadership. This is something the tribe says is “concerning” for many other nations and communities around the US that may soon go through a similar process. 

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The Democratic Republic of Congo auctions land for oil drilling in the Congo Basin

white bird beside body of water

19 September 2022 – by Ella Kiyomi Dobson

The Congo Basin is the second largest old-growth rainforest and is set in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In May, DRC released a statement online suggesting that they are accepting offers on blocks of land for oil and gas exploration projects in the Congo Basin to bolster its economy. The number of parcels of land up for grabs was increased from 16 to 30 at the end of July when the auction began. 

Oil and gas are at the forefront of global issues right now. At the end of 2021, global leaders joined at COP26 to agree to protect the Congo Basin with international pledges of $500 million. Within a few months, however, many global leaders have shifted their climate attitudes, particularly on oil and gas, due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The President of the DRC, Felix Tshisekedi, and other leaders of African countries have expressed that there remains a double standard for oil and gas. Western nations have built their wealth from exploiting fossil fuels; why should they have to forego their reserves to protect everyone else? 

While President Tshisekedi and the DRC government argue that new oil and gas fields would boost DRC’s economy, empirical observations in high-yield oil-producing African nations suggest only a small fraction of the population would reap the benefits. Currently, DRC is a large player in the mining of cobalt, copper, gold, and diamonds. While these have high economic returns, the country remains deeply impoverished due to mismanagement and corruption. Looking at these realities, the Congolese people would unlikely see any financial benefits from further environmental exploitation.

The environmental damages that exploration and drilling of oil and gas in the Congo Basin could be a tipping point for the global environment. The proposed bidding lands are crucial areas like swamps and peatlands that have a high environmental value. Astoundingly, peat/wetlands only comprise around 3% of the globe’s surface, yet they hold over 30% of soil stored carbon. The infrastructure required to explore and drill in these areas would release billions of tons of stored carbon into the atmosphere due to the draining process necessary for drilling. 

After the auction began in mid-august, the hydrocarbons minister for DRC announced that they would accept bids from carbon credit and cryptocurrency companies as opposed to purely oil and gas companies. These companies would not be looking to drill but, rather, promisingly, sell carbon credits for carbon offsetting. In theory, this structure would return the capital generated to local communities and the government in exchange for protecting the areas. There is much scepticism about whether the carbon offsetting market will bring sufficient cash flow to match the economic outputs of oil. However, if these companies successfully win the blocks of land, this would be more financially and environmentally sustainable for the DRC. Success in this endeavour may also encourage other countries to adopt a similar approach to environmental preservation, so long as they can afford to do so.

Finding alternative means like this to support countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo will be a pivotal example for other countries hoping to move away from oil and gas dependence. In addition, efforts like this may allow for a just transition to renewable energy which will be an essential means of protection for both people and the planet. 

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Record Levels of Displacement and Famine Warnings in Somalia as Drought Continues

12 September 2022 – Darina Kalamova

One million people have been internally displaced in Somalia since January 2021 when an unprecedented drought began. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoulа, stated that more than seven million people – nearly half of Somalia’s population – will experience its effects by the end of 2022. 

What is Happening?

Food prices have risen sharply and many people cannot afford essential products such as water and wheat. More than three million animals, crucial to Somalia’s economy, have died and crop production has substantially dropped due to low levels of precipitation.

This has forced many people living in rural areas to leave their homes behind and seek refuge in urban regions and displaced persons camps. In fact, after another failed growing season, a spike in displacement was recorded in June and July 2022.

Famine Warnings 

Experts are concerned that a fifth failed rainy season is very likely. This, in combination with the loss of livelihood, is increasing the possibility of famine and health risks for the population. 213,000 Somalis are reported to be living in famine-like conditions with no access to basic necessities.

Children are most vulnerable because malnutrition can reduce their physical and mental development. Heartbreaking data shows that around 1.5 million children under the age of 5 face acute malnutrition, with over 380,000 likely to experience severe malnourishment. According to the UN Children’s fund, drought-related malnutrition has already led to the deaths of 500 children.

The UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, warned that two districts of Somalia are in imminent danger of famine and thousands are at risk of losing their lives. He stressed the urgency of the situation and compared the current disaster to the famine of 2010-2011 when more than 200,000 people died. He called for more humanitarian aid and additional funding for the affected areas.

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UNHCR Urges Response to “Biblical Proportion” Floods in Pakistan

9 September 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

Since the beginning of the 2022 rainy season, “Biblical proportion” floods in Pakistan have killed 1300 people, injured 12,500, and provoked the displacement of 634,000. Over one third of the country is currently under water, and one in seven Pakistanis have been affected.

Due to geographical parameters, Pakistan has always been particularly vulnerable to floods. However, the frequency and scope of extreme weather events are exacerbated by global warming. In the present case, three months of incessant monsoon rain are not only destroying infrastructure but also jeopardising food security through crop damage – which is contributing to aggravate the country’s rampant inflation and “further entrenching Pakistan’s compounding economic and political crises”.

Last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched a global humanitarian campaign aiming to mitigate the consequences of this disaster. The organisation has mounted an airlift operation to supply the most heavily impacted regions with tents, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, and sheets of waterproof canvas.

Funds are also being mobilised to support the Pakistani government in its assistance to households, including through an online donation portal.

The situation could further deteriorate in weeks to come, as the Pakistan Meteorological Department predicts increased rainfall in the coming month.

A global and tailored response is vital to repair damages and curtail further destruction. In addition to the principle of solidarity, there is an ethical case for Global North countries to commit to alleviate climate-induced hazards in the Global South, given that the former are historically responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the lack of technology and funds to build flood-resistant infrastructure can also be attributed to historical biases in favour of today’s most powerful nations.

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Chile Rejects New Eco-friendly Constitution

9 September 2022 – by Cosmo Sanderson

Chilean voters have rejected the chance to enact a groundbreaking constitution that would have enshrined the “rights of nature”.

Almost 62% of voters turned down what had been described as an “ecological constitution” in last Sunday’s vote.

The proposed text, which was championed by Chile’s leftist President Gabriel Boric, would have made Chile only the second country to recognise the rights of nature after Ecuador.

“Nature has rights,” the text read. “The state and society have the duty to protect and respect them.”

The constitution would have also reportedly seen the creation of autonomous governmental bodies to safeguard those rights and allowed Chilean citizens to bring lawsuits to enforce them.

Aside from its environmental protections, the proposed constitution recognised the rights of Chile’s indigenous populations to their land and resources. It would also have made gender parity across government a legal requirement.

Chile’s existing constitution was entered into in 1980 during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Chileans overwhelmingly voted to update it in 2020, a year after a rise in public transport fees sparked a million-strong march in Santiago against inequality.

Olga Barbosa, an ecologist at the Austral University of Chile, told US journal Science that she was “shocked” by the outcome of the vote, reflecting that there is “still so much fear of change.”

Nicolás Trujillo Osorio, a philosopher of science at Andrés Bello National University, told the same publication that concepts including the rights of nature were too vague and poorly explained.

Boric has announced he will work with Congress and civil society to launch a new constitutional process. “We have to listen to the voice of the people,” he said regarding the rejected text, and develop a new proposal that will “fill us with confidence and unite us all”.

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Extreme Drought in Europe is Causing Record-Breaking Disruption

Low waters of the Rhine river in summer 2022

9 September 2022 – Darina Kalamova

This year another negative climate-related record in Europe will likely be broken as the ongoing drought is set to become the worst one in the last 500 years.

The combination of low rainfall and extremely high summer temperatures is overheating and drying up rivers and lakes across Europe. Water shortages are already hindering the continent’s activity because the river basins provide important economic routes and ecosystems. Without them, international trade, industrial activity, agriculture, energy and food production are in danger of collapse. 

The Rhine is Europe’s largest and most important river and its water is used for freight transport, irrigation, manufacturing, power generation and drinking. Since early August 2022, the river has been recording alarmingly low levels and is in danger of becoming impassable. This will halt the transport of grain, coal, and other goods with catastrophic economic consequences. Ships are already being forced to limit their cargo and if the water level continues to drop, they may have to stop operating altogether.

Economic activity in the Danube is disrupted as well. Wrecks of World War II ships have resurfaced from the water and while this is not the first time this has occurred, the wrecks emerge only when the water level is extremely low. The rise of water temperature also poses a serious threat to the river as the overheating can result in lower oxygen content and not enough soil moisture. Concerns for the survival of the local fish species have been raised.

Other important European waterways are facing similar threats and experts warn that the expected rainfall this autumn may not be enough to raise water levels high enough to restore normal activity and that similar dry periods may no longer be exceptions in the future, but the rule.