Prayer Guide
The ocean is the Lord’s
because he made it,
and with his own hands
he formed the dry land.
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Friday 25th April
During the summer of 2023, Matthew Schneider-Mayerson and a team of fellow researchers binge-watched 250 of the most-rated movies from the past decade—purely for research purposes, writes Kiley Price. The group was primarily keeping an eye out for one thing: Is climate change mentioned? In most cases, the answer is no. Only 13 percent of the films had any sort of acknowledgment of this massive problem changing the world and our everyday lives, according to the study, which was published in February. The researchers also assessed how this environmental crisis is represented: Some of the films centered the plot entirely around climate-fueled weather disasters, while others just off-handedly brought up climate change in dialogue. Research shows that these climate portrayals in fictional movies and shows are crucial for influencing behavior in the real world. Now, there is a growing movement in the movie industry for filmmakers and production execs to embrace climate change content on the big screen.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25032025/todays-climate-movies-filmmaking-test/
Saturday 26th April
Large-scale banana plantations in Latin America and the Caribbean could face a “dramatic” reduction in “suitable” growing area by 2080 due to rising temperatures, a new study warns. Ayesha Tandon continues: Banana production is a labour-intensive process and the $25bn banana industry provides employment for more than one million workers globally. Latin America and the Caribbean are responsible for 80% of the world’s banana exports. The study, published in Nature Food, investigates how climate change could impact export-driven banana plantations in the world’s biggest banana-exporting region. It finds rising temperatures will drive a 60% reduction in the land area currently suitable for large-scale banana plantations in the region by 2080. As the suitable area for banana plantations shrinks, farmers will need to adapt through implementing irrigation, implementing drought-resilient varieties of banana and shifting their growing regions, the study says.
Sunday 27th April
Father, we call upon the prince of peace, the Lord Jesus Christ to keep the whole world in a place of peace despite all these challenges. We know that we find peace in you. A peace beyond understanding, a peace that at times doesn’t make sense to others. This Easter, O King of glory, let peace overtake our fears and our worries. Let peace and faith arise in us anew, and draw us ever close to the prince of peace. Amen
https://capuk.org/news-and-blog/prayers-for-easter
Monday 28th April
A newly released investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency and Earthworks into the workings of Colombia’s largest company, oil and gas giant Ecopetrol, reveals a pattern of environmental negligence and corporate misconduct, writes Mie Hoejris Dahl. The investigation relies on the Iguana Papers, a collection of leaked documents and databases that show more than 600 instances of major environmental damages caused by Ecopetrol between 2010 and 2016. The company concealed about a fifth of these cases from the authorities, according to the report. The investigation also reveals that Ecopetrol maintained a database to map and monitor 1,200 individuals in areas where the company operates. Mongabay talked to environmental defenders who have felt threatened by Ecopetrol. Despite these findings, Colombian authorities have not responded to complaints about Ecopetrol, which continues to operate unhindered.
Tuesday 29th April
Growing up along the banks of the Ninglick River in western Alaska, Ashley Tom would look out of her window after strong storms from the Bering Sea hit her village, Newtok, and notice something unsettling: the riverbank was creeping ever closer…Writers Rick Bowmer and Mark Thiessen continue: today, erosion and melting permafrost have just about destroyed Newtok, eating about 70 feet (21.34 meters) of land every year. All that’s left are some dilapidated and largely abandoned gray homes scraped bare of paint by salt darting in on the winds of storms… In the next few weeks, the last 71 residents will load their possessions onto boats to move to Mertarvik, rejoining 230 residents who began moving away in 2019. They will become one of the first Alaska Native villages to complete a large-scale relocation because of climate change.
Wednesday 30th April
The latest deadline for countries to submit plans for slashing the greenhouse gas emissions fuelling climate change has passed [at the end of February 2025], writes Doug Specht. Only 15 countries met it – less than 8% of the 194 parties currently signed up to the Paris agreement, which obliges countries to submit new proposals for eliminating emissions every five years. Known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, these plans outline how each country intends to help limit average global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, or at most 2°C. … Each new NDC should outline more stringent emissions cuts than the last. It should also show how each country seeks to mitigate climate change over the following ten years. This system is designed to progressively strengthen (or “ratchet up”) global efforts to combat climate change… Without a comprehensive set of NDCs for countries to compare themselves against, there will be less pressure on negotiators to raise national ambitions. Assessing how much money certain countries need to decarbonise and adapt to climate change, and how much is available, will also be more difficult. While countries can (and some will) continue to submit NDCs, the poor compliance rate so far suggests a lack of urgency that bodes ill for avoiding the worst climate outcomes this century.
Thursday 1st May
Join with many other Christians from around the world with the monthly Pray and Fast for the Climate Movement on the first of each month. Prayer points for this month will be on their website.
Merciful God, we believe that you uphold and sustain all that you have made, while also lovingly giving us the freedom to live in relationship with the rest of creation. We ask your forgiveness for the ways we have abused that freedom, through what we have done and what we have left undone. We bring our lament and our longing for a renewed earth to you now:
(Christian Climate Action’s prayer for climate grief).
https://prayandfastfortheclimate.org.uk/resources/
Friday 2nd May
Delegates from more than 180 countries [are gathering] in Geneva, Switzerland from [now until] 9 May to discuss restricting several toxic chemicals, including a widely used pesticide and a common stain repellent. The negotiations will be part of a series of biennial meetings known as Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. They come amid mounting concerns that hazardous chemicals are flooding the Earth. Experts say the proliferation of these compounds is one of the most troubling markers of a planet-wide pollution crisis. “Chemicals are an integral part of the modern world,” said Jacqueline Alvarez, Chief of the Chemicals and Health Branch at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “But too often, exposure to harmful chemicals through food, consumer products, and the environment can have severe consequences for people and the planet.”
Saturday 3rd May
For hundreds of millions of people living in India and Pakistan the early arrival of summer heatwaves has become a terrifying reality that’s testing survivability limits and putting enormous strain on energy supplies, vital crops and livelihoods, writes Sophia Saifi. Both countries experience heatwaves during the summer months of May and June, but this year’s heatwave season has arrived sooner than usual and is predicted to last longer too. Temperatures [were] expected to climb to dangerous levels in both countries [in mid April]… India has also been experiencing extreme heat that arrived earlier than usual and its metrological department warned people in parts of the country to brace for an “above-normal number of heatwave days” in April. Maximum temperatures in capital Delhi, a city of more than 16 million, have already crossed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) at least three times this month – up to 5 degrees above the seasonal average – the meteorological department said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/15/asia/india-pakistan-heatwave-climate-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html
Sunday 4th May
All powerful God,
you are present in the universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with your peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
A prayer for our earth was published in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. It is for all who believe in God who is the all-powerful Creator.
https://cafod.org.uk/pray/prayer-resources/prayer-for-our-earth
Monday 5th May
A recent amendment to Peru’s Forestry and Wildlife Law is drawing fierce backlash from environmental groups and Indigenous groups that warn it could accelerate deforestation in the Amazon rainforest under the guise of economic development, writes Steven Grattan. The amendment eliminates the requirement that landowners or companies get state authorization before converting forested land to other uses. Critics say the change could legitimize years of illegal deforestation. “To us, this is gravely concerning,” said Alvaro Masquez Salvador, a lawyer with the Indigenous Peoples program at Peru’s Legal Defense Institute. Masquez added that the reform sets a troubling precedent by “effectively privatizing” land that Peru’s constitution defines as national patrimony. “Forests are not private property—they belong to the nation,” he said. Supporters of the amendment, enacted in March, say it will stabilize Peru’s agricultural sector and provide farmers with greater legal certainty.
Tuesday 6th May
The UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is hosting its Regional Roundtable on Sustainable Finance for Africa and the Middle East [today and tomorrow], in Marrakech, Morocco. This key event … will play a crucial role in shaping the sustainable finance agenda, driving the transition toward a greener, more just economy, and securing a sustainable future for the region. As part of UNEP FI’s biennial series of five major regional events on sustainable finance in 2025, the Africa and Middle East Roundtable will highlight innovative responses to emerging global trends in sustainable finance and responsible banking and insurance practices. The event will bring together finance professionals to discuss critical sustainability issues, including climate mitigation and adaptation, nature-positive finance, just transition and financial inclusion, sustainability policy and regulation, real economy transition, carbon trading, and carbon finance, among others.
https://www.unepfi.org/regions/africa-middle-east/africa-middle-east-regional-roundtable-2025/
Wednesday 7th May
Tonight sees a Green Christian online workshop on Intentional communities for the climate emergency. How can Christians build communities that are leaven for society, whether residential, dispersed or simply in our locality? Join Alan Heeks, co-founder of the Soul Resilience Network, and Jonathan Herbert from Hilfield Friary to explore ways to build sites of “social infrastructure” for the climate emergency. This workshop will be an opportunity to explore how intentional communities like Hilfield respond to the spiritual thirst of our times, how they can help to build a more resilient society, and what we can learn from them about building resilience wherever we live. It will launch a conversation on the role of Christians and churches in building social resilience in increasingly stormy times, which will continue later this year at our Annual Members’ Meeting on 15 November 2025. Free, but register for the zoom link
https://greenchristian.org.uk/intentional-communities-green-christian-workshop/
Thursday 8th May
A major conservation effort to bring back Britain’s lost Celtic rainforests has begun in Devon, writes Elena Kryvoshei. Volunteers have planted the first 2,500 native trees in what will become a rare temperate rainforest ecosystem. The project, led by Devon Wildlife Trust, transforms 75 acres of former sheep pasture near Totnes into a landscape that will eventually support the unique plant and animal life in these ancient woodlands. These special forests once covered much of Britain’s western coastline but now occupy just 1% of the country’s land. Unlike tropical rainforests, Celtic rainforests, also known as Atlantic rainforests, thrive in cool, wet conditions common to Britain’s western regions, receiving more than 200 days of rainfall per year. The constant high humidity levels create perfect conditions for an extraordinary diversity of life.
https://happyeconews.com/devon-celtic-rainforest-ecosystem/
Friday 9th May
Snowfall in Asia’s Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region has reached its lowest level in 23 years, threatening almost two billion people who depend on snowmelt for water, a new report warns. Reporter Cristen Hemingway Jaynes continues: the most recent Snow Update Report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said the region experienced its third below-normal snow year in a row in 2025. Snow persistence — the amount of time snow stays on the ground following a snowfall — reached a 20-year record low of 23.6 percent, a press release from ICIMOD said.
https://www.ecowatch.com/snow-himalayas-water-climate-change.html
Saturday 10th May
The U.S. aid funding cuts have sent high-profile shockwaves across world health care access and humanitarian relief efforts, but another vital sector has also been hit: energy access in Africa, writes Kim Harrisberg. On a continent where 600 million people lack reliable access to electricity, the U.S.-led Power Africa initiative sought to improve power supplies in sub-Saharan Africa for schools, clinics, households, farms and businesses. [It] was launched in 2013 by President Barack Obama … Power Africa was operated under the U.S. government’s relief provider USAID, which was dismantled by the Trump administration earlier in the year. …Its website no longer functions, much like other USAID-funded initiatives.
https://www.context.news/just-transition/usaid-cuts-hurt-debated-energy-plans-in-africa
Sunday 11th May
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty,
not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
A prayer for our earth was published in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. It is for all who believe in God who is the all-powerful Creator.
https://cafod.org.uk/pray/prayer-resources/prayer-for-our-earth
Monday 12th May
Farmers, landworkers and NGOs [were, in April,] urging the UK Government to enshrine a ‘right to food’ and enhance its nature-friendly farming approach, with a UK-USA trade deal on the horizon that could flood the market with cheap food imports produced to low environmental standards, writes Sarah George. A group of more than 20 NGOs including the Real Farming Trust, Landworkers’ Alliance and Pesticide Action Network UK, … convened farmers and other food system workers to advocate for a “systemic transformation of the UK’s food and farming system” ..,, Specifically, the organisers want the UK Government to:
- Enshrine a ‘right to food’ in law
- Implement an updated National Food Strategy for England, after the previous edition did not include the majority of expert recommendations
- Increase the nature-friendly farming budget, with a more interoperable approach across all UK nations
- Introduce an interim support scheme for small farms following the recent abrupt closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme to applicants
- Provide ‘substantial measures’ to improve access to land for new industry entrants, including training and support
- Implement measures to guarantee fair and secure incomes for farmers and other farmworkers
https://www.edie.net/farmers-warn-that-2025-is-make-or-break-for-future-of-britains-food-system/
Tuesday 13th May
The Achuar and Sapara Nations of Ecuador held extraordinary assemblies to make decisions about their territories in response to the Ecuadorian government’s plan to auction off their ancestral lands in the Southeastern Oil Round. President Daniel Noboa’s administration has been promoting the bidding on oil fields in the southern Ecuadorian Amazon—an initiative that directly affects the territories of seven Indigenous nations, none of whom have been consulted. If the auction proceeds, the entire territories of the Achuar and Sapara will be handed over to oil companies. To halt this effort, the nations are demanding that the Constitutional Court take up Case 1296-19JP concerning the Waorani communities of Pastaza – OWAP, and hold a hearing in Indigenous territory to listen to testimonies and understand how, beyond the Waorani, other nations have also had their rights violated through alleged deceptive and bad-faith consultations that disregarded their organizational structures.
Wednesday 14th May
The environment paid a heavy price during the civil war that raged for more than a decade in Syria, claiming more than half a million lives and forcing half of the population into exile or displacement. Journalist Amelie David continues: Farmers are striving to regain a semblance of life and restore their crops in a precarious socio-economic context, amid ravaged lands and widespread destruction. The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 has given hope, but Syrians now have to reckon with its legacy, … On the road from Damascus to Douma, in Eastern Ghouta, ruins stretch as far as the eye can see. Ghouta, in Arabic, means oasis. Once, a green belt surrounded the Syrian capital. Most of the region’s fruits and vegetables were grown there. Over the years, however, rapid urbanization turned this landscape into concrete. And the impact of the heavy bombardements during the war left blooding scars in this earth.
https://theecologist.org/2025/mar/21/cultivating-farmland-after-bombs
Thursday 15th May
A Spanish ferry company will establish the first completely electric ferry service between Spain and Morocco in 2027, creating a pioneering green corridor between the two continents, writes Elena Kryvoshei. This innovative project, representing a €45 million investment, marks a transformative step toward sustainable maritime transportation in the Mediterranean region. Baleària will operate two custom-built electric ferries between Tarifa, Spain, and Tangier, Morocco, establishing the Spain and Morocco green corridor as the first zero-emission maritime route connecting Europe and Africa. The ships will produce no pollution and run solely on battery power for the 18-mile journey across the Strait of Gibraltar.
https://happyeconews.com/spain-and-morocco-green-corridor/
Friday 16th May
Nearly 17% of the world’s croplands are contaminated with “heavy metals”, according to a new study in Science. Jagannath Biswakarma continues: These contaminants – arsenic, cadmium, lead, and others – may be invisible to the eye, but they threaten food safety and human health. Heavy metals and metalloids are elements that originate from either natural or human-made sources. They’re called “heavy” because they’re physically dense and their weight is high at an atomic scale. Heavy metals do not break down. They remain in soils for decades, where crops can absorb them and enter the food chain. Over time, they accumulate in the body, causing chronic diseases that may take years to appear. This is not a problem for the distant future; it’s already affecting food grown today. Some heavy metals, such as zinc and copper, are essential micronutrients in trace amounts. Others – including arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead – are toxic even at low concentrations. Some are left behind by natural geology, others by decades of industrial and agricultural activities.
Saturday 17th May
[Colorado] may become first in the [US] to require retailers to warn consumers that burning fossil fuels “releases air pollutants and greenhouse gases, known by the state of Colorado to be linked to significant health impacts and global heating.” Author Jennifer Oldham continues: The warning is the linchpin of a bill — HB25-1277 — that narrowly passed the state House on April 2 and [was] scheduled to be heard in the Senate’s Transportation & Energy Committee [in late April]. Its Democratic sponsors say the bill will raise awareness among consumers that combusting gas in their vehicles creates pollutants that harm their health and trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to more intense and extreme weather, wildfires and drought. The groundbreaking measure would require retailers to place warning labels printed in black ink on a white background in English and Spanish in no smaller than 16-point type on fuel pumps and “in a conspicuous location” near displays offering petroleum-based goods for sale.
https://grist.org/energy/in-colorado-gas-for-cars-could-soon-come-with-a-warning-label/
Sunday 18th May
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle,
for justice, love and peace.
A prayer for our earth was published in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. It is for all who believe in God who is the all-powerful Creator.
https://cafod.org.uk/pray/prayer-resources/prayer-for-our-earth
Monday 19th May
The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) has confirmed the results of a key vote by its members, formally dropping the requirement for banks to set climate targets aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5C and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, writes Sidhi Mittal. The NZBA, a UN-backed climate coalition, was launched in 2021 as part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), with the aim of aligning global banking activity with net-zero emissions by 2050. This move marks a significant softening of the Alliance’s original climate commitments. In place of mandatory alignment with the 1.5C target, the NZBA will now recommend that member banks align their strategies with the broader goal of keeping temperature rise “well below 2C, aiming for 1.5C,” in line with the original language of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The vote, backed by an overwhelming majority of the Alliance’s 129 members, effectively converts key climate requirements into non-binding “best practice” guidance.
Tuesday 20th May
Since Myanmar’s 2021 coup, lead mining in the country’s southern Tanintharyi region has exploded, with the number of mining sites more than doubling as lawlessness enables rapid expansion, writes Dawei Watch. The environmental impact has been severe, with polluted rivers, dying crops, and communities losing access to clean water. Armed groups and junta officials profit from the boom by collecting bribes and taxes, turning mining into a revenue source across all control zones. Environmentalists warn that without immediate action and sustainable planning, the region’s ecosystems and natural resources may be permanently lost.
Wednesday 21st May
A new survey reveals that “very few” Africans place responsibility for climate action on “rich countries” – despite the long history of carbon emissions from the most developed nations, writes Ayesha Tandon. The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, presents the results of a survey of more than 50,000 people across 39 African countries conducted over 2021-23. The authors find that just half of survey respondents have heard of climate change. Of these, 45% say they believe their own government is primarily responsible for reducing the impacts of climate change and 30% say “everyday Africans” bear the greatest responsibility. Just 13% of survey respondents put the onus for tackling climate change on “historical emitters”… A scientist who was not involved in the study tells Carbon Brief that the “low attribution of responsibility” to the countries most responsible for historical emissions is “concerning given the disproportionate climate burdens borne by Africa”.
Thursday 22nd May
From India comes the story of three teen inventors who were looking to improve rural healthcare by creating a portable fridge that needed no electricity or coolant fluids, writes Andy Corbley. The result of their inspiration is a small, salt-cooled fridge that needs neither a power outlet nor a battery, but rather cools down passively as the salts dissolve in water. Calling it “a fridge to bridge the world,” the Thermavault can use different combinations of salts to keep the contents at temperatures just above freezing or below it. Some vaccines require regular kitchen fridge temps, while others, or even transplant organs, need to be kept below freezing, meaning this versatility is a big advantage for the product’s overall market demand… Their ingenuity and imagination won them the 2025 Earth Prize, which came with a $12,500 reward needed for this mass testing phase.
Friday 23rd May
Developed nations, facing economic constraints, are increasingly advocating for developing countries to finance climate action through their natural wealth – especially mineral resources, writes Dr.-Ing. M, Assem Mayar. However, this approach is unrealistic for fragile states like Afghanistan, where governance, financial capacity, and security concerns make such a strategy nearly impossible. Afghanistan is among the ten countries that have historically received inadequate climate funding, … These nations face acute climate risks, yet international climate financing mechanism has largely failed to provide them required funding. According to the Climate Adaptation Finance Index (CAFI) 2024, 90% of developing countries receive less adaptation funding than warranted by their climate risks, with Afghanistan and six of its counterparts being among the highest climate risk category. Climate disasters have inflicted massive economic losses on Afghanistan… Agriculture, the backbone of Afghanistan’s economy, is repeatedly crippled by droughts and floods, deepening food insecurity and pushing more people into poverty.
Saturday 24th May,
Lawsuits and political pressure may save a few projects here and there but the future of climate financing under the current US administration seems clear—there isn’t one, writes Mark Harris. From a high water mark of over $11 billion in climate aid for developing countries last year, the US has already cancelled over $4 billion in pledges and will almost certainly renege on most of its other climate-related commitments. In the blink of an eye, the US has ceded its position as the largest global climate donor… Right behind the US’s government were most of its big lenders. JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs have all now left the Net Zero Banking Alliance, a UN-sponsored group dedicated to keeping global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Japanese and Canadian banks quickly followed suit. European countries have also announced cuts to their climate aid, in part in response to US calls for increased defense spending.
https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2025/04/who-could-replace-us-climate-financing/
Sunday 25th May
A prayer for food justice
Lord Jesus,
You understand what it is like to be hungry.
Teach us to have grateful and generous hearts.
Forgive us when we make selfish choices
or remain silent in the face of injustice.
Lord Jesus,
You welcomed all to your table.
May we recognise our interconnectedness,
with our common home and our global neighbours,
so all are invited to share the feast.
Lord Jesus,
You come to us as bread and wine.
Fill us with your compassion.
Nourish us as we advocate for change,
and seek to make your Kingdom a reality in our world.
Amen.
https://cafod.org.uk/pray/prayer-resources/a-prayer-for-food-justice
Monday 26th May
[In late April] the Virtual Climate Ambition Summit was held with representatives from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania, hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. [A precursor to COP30 later in the year], the meeting brought together heads of state and government from the world’s largest economies, as well as leaders from the African Union, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)… A key issue on the agenda was the call for updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). So far, only about 10% of the 196 signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have submitted their revised contributions… Two other issues highlighted at the Virtual Summit, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, were the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy models and the responsibility of developed countries for transitions in developing countries.
Tuesday 27th May
At the Virtual Climate Ambition Summit, [Brazil’s President] Lula reinforced the call for four initiatives, which he said should pave the way to [COP30 in] Belém in the coming months.
1.Global Ethical Assessment – Brasil and the UN will gather young and religious leaders, artists, indigenous peoples, scientists, and decision makers around a new pact with the planet.
2.Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty – working with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to prepare a guide for the inclusion of social policies and food system transformation in NDCs.
3.Global Initiative for the Integrity of Information on Climate Change – In partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), this initiative aims to value science and combat misinformation.
4.Rainforests Forever Fund – To be launched at COP30, it will reward developing countries that preserve their forests.
“President Lula also called for COP30 to be the conference for the implementation of the agreements reached so far, especially those resulting from the Global Review that preceded the COPs, both in Dubai and Baku, in terms of tripling renewable energy, doubling energy efficiency, moving away from the use of fossil fuels and halting deforestation, in addition to the necessary climate finance, all in line with the mission not to exceed 1.5°C,” concluded Brasil’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva.
Wednesday 28th May
The National Trust has laid bare some of the varied species of wildlife that have been affected by this month’s spate of wildfires. After the driest March in decades, and warmer than average temperatures in April, the UK has had one of the worst fire seasons on record. Fires in recent weeks have included one spanning 1,600 hectares – roughly 400 times the size of Cardiff’s Principality Stadium – at the National Trust’s Abergwesyn Common in Powys, Mid Wales. The blaze damaged vast areas of prime habitat for small mammals and birds, and rangers fear that breeding habitat of the area’s last known population of golden plovers, a rare upland species, will have been lost. Meanwhile in the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, recent fires have scorched land used by a whole array of wildlife, including grayling and small heath butterflies, rove beetles, skylarks and even peregrine falcons. Smaller birds such as skylarks rely on the insects and beetles for food, with these birds in turn providing a food source for larger birds of prey.
Thursday 29th May
Royal Mail has halved its use of domestic flights, claiming that the move will mitigate 30,000 tonnes of CO2 a year while still meeting customer demand for next-day deliveries, writes Joshua Neil. The postal company has cancelled 18 of its domestic flight routes, as of 5 April 2025. The reduction was initially announced in July 2024, with 11 of the company’s routes making a final journey the month prior to that. Most journeys are set to be replaced by road vehicles, which Royal Mail claims are both better for the environment and more reliable. Royal Mail operates the UK’s largest electric delivery fleet, with more than 6,000 electric vehicles (EVs). It is also investing significantly in switching to a blend of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for its HGVs, which are more challenging to electrify. HVO can reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared with diesel… The change forms part of Royal Mail’s plans to achieve net-zero by 2040.
https://www.edie.net/royal-mail-halves-domestic-flights-to-meet-net-zero-2040-target/
Friday 30th May
Nearly 60 countries have drastically scaled back their plans for building coal-fired power plants since the Paris Agreement in 2015, according to figures released by Global Energy Monitor (GEM). Josh Gabbatiss continues: Among those making cuts of 98% or more to their coal-power pipeline are some of the world’s biggest coal users, including Turkey, Vietnam and Japan. The data also shows that 35 nations eliminated coal from their plans entirely over the past decade, including South Korea and Germany. Global coal-fired electricity generation has increased since 2015 as more power plants have come online… China and India, the world’s largest coal consumers, have also both reduced their planned coal capacity by more than 60% over the same timeframe, from a total of 801 gigawatts (GW) to 298GW. However, both countries still have a large number of coal projects in the pipeline and, together, made up 92% of newly proposed coal capacity globally in 2024.
Saturday 31st May
Humanitarian groups are scrubbing climate change language from their websites, in what appear to be more examples of aid agencies quietly yielding to the Trump administration’s attacks on perceived progressive causes, writes Irwin Loy. Organisations like Care, Mercy Corps, Relief International, and the World Food Program USA non-profit have edited, downplayed, or in some cases erased references to climate change entirely – including in descriptions of core work. The actions include avoiding the word “climate” and revising other terminology, removing climate links from home pages, or deleting entire pages. For example, World Food Program USA, which raises funds for the UN food agency, appears to have erased the word “climate” from a prominent page that had underscored the climate crisis as a driver of hunger. The page headline, “the climate crisis and hunger”, has been changed to “extreme weather and hunger”… The self-censorship on climate change suggests some aid groups are now hesitant to even name one of the main reasons humanitarian needs are soaring across the globe.
Sources:
Text and links compiled by Emma King. Links accessed March 26th 2025.
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