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	International humanitarian law is only as strong as leaders’ will to uphold it by ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric International Committee of the Red Cross   (Speech given by Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the ICRC, on 18 August 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand on International Humanitarian Law. Extract):   "The ICRC currently classifies approximately 130 armed conflicts. This is more than we recorded last year, and far more than in previous decades.   While the number of countries experiencing armed conflict remains relatively stable, the number of simultaneous or newly escalating conflicts within them is growing. Many are protracted and often last for generations.   Today’s wars are also marked by coalition warfare, the fragmentation of armed groups, and millions of civilians living under the control of non-state armed actors.   Above all, this decade is seeing an increase in wars between states, tectonic political shifts, blurring alliances, and rapid technological advancements, which together exacerbate the risk for more high-intensity conflicts with devastating humanitarian consequences.   As wars multiply and geopolitical divisions deepen, respect for international humanitarian law is in crisis, and with it, our shared humanity. Armed conflict is now the single greatest driver of humanitarian needs. Much of this suffering could have been prevented had the rules of war been better respected.   The ICRC works on frontlines across the world. We know war intimately, and bear witness every day to the scars it carves into people, families, and communities.   In Myanmar, the humanitarian situation remains dire after decades of fighting, compounded by a devastating earthquake in March of this year. Hostilities persist and, in some places, have intensified. Meanwhile, restrictions on the movement of people and goods continue to limit access to essential services for many communities such as those in Rakhine.   Nowhere in Gaza is safe anymore. What we see there surpasses any acceptable legal or moral standards. Civilians are being killed and injured in their homes, in hospital beds, and while searching for food and water. Children are dying because they do not have enough to eat. The entire territory has been reduced to rubble.   Warfare conducted indiscriminately as well as extreme restrictions on humanitarian aid have made conditions unliveable and devoid of human dignity. At the same time, hostages remain in captivity, despite the clear prohibition of hostage-taking under international humanitarian law.   Large-scale drone and missile attacks in the Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict are killing and injuring civilians far from the frontlines. Essential infrastructure is being destroyed. More than 146,000 cases of missing people – both military and civilian – have been reported to the ICRC as of the end of July.   In Sudan, civilians face an unrelenting nightmare of death, destruction, and displacement.   And after nearly four decades of war in Afghanistan, civilians continue to be haunted by mines, unexploded ordnances, and abandoned improvised explosive devices.   The situation in Syria illustrates one of the most heartbreaking and enduring consequences of prolonged conflict: the unresolved fate of the missing. The ICRC has registered over 36,000 missing people. This is likely just a fraction of the true number. If the ICRC had sustained access to all places of detention throughout the conflict, many of these cases might have been resolved or even prevented.   Still today, water supply and electricity are at risk of collapse. At the same time, the recent violence along the coast and southern Syria underscores how the country’s path to peace is fragile – and how quickly clashes can erupt.   The scale of human suffering – in Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria and dozens of other countries across the world – must never be accepted as inevitable. These are not unfortunate side effects of war, but consequences of a profound failure to uphold international humanitarian law.   They are the results of political failure. When wars are fought with the mentality of “total victory” or “because we can” a dangerous permissiveness takes root – one where the law is bent to justify killing rather than prevent it. The Geneva Conventions were created specifically to prevent senseless suffering and death.   When hostilities are carried out indiscriminately and when violence is left unchecked, the consequences are catastrophic. Death and destruction become the norm, and not the exception.   In a highly interconnected world, unrestrained violence rarely remains confined to a single battlefield. It reverberates. When the world tolerates unbridled aggression in one conflict, it signals to the others – militaries, non-state armed groups, and their allies – that such behaviour is acceptable elsewhere.   As conflicts escalate, so too does the weaponization of information. Wars are fought today not only on the ground, but also in the digital arena, where harmful narratives and incendiary rhetoric are used to inflame tensions and justify violence.   Horrific events throughout history are rooted in a common element: dehumanisation. Stripping the humanity of others away creates an environment where torture, abuse, and killing is rationalised. There is no such thing as a human animal. No people or territory should ever be erased from the face of the Earth.   In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, the speed with which harmful narratives can spread is unprecedented – with dangerous real-world consequences.   We witness how genocidal vocabulary eventually translates into gruesome realities on the ground. The vitriolic hatred embedded in such language strips away empathy, creating fertile ground for atrocities to take place. It renders brutality acceptable, or worse, seemingly inevitable.   We are living in a time when the world is not just at war – it is preparing for more war. Global military spending is at record highs. Across regions, states are investing in weaponry, modernising forces, and rearming with a sense of urgency.   As the president of an organisation responding to the horrific consequences of armed conflict, it is my first responsibility to encourage states to de-escalate and not lead the world towards limitless war.   It is also my duty to remind states that responsible conflict preparedness is not measured solely by firepower. It demands sustained respect for international humanitarian law.   We are witnessing a seismic shift in how wars are fought. As states compete in the 21st-century arms race, it is critical to ask: how does IHL apply to these evolving technologies, and what must states consider as they invest in new weapons systems?   Cheap and scalable, drones are becoming one of the defining weapons of today’s wars. Their widespread use is reshaping frontlines and revolutionising the battlefield. Drones are not prohibited under IHL. But like any weapon, they must be used in full compliance with the rules of war.   Low-resolution, analogue systems and operators’ lack of training – especially when it comes to low-cost first-person view drones – raise serious concerns about the ability to distinguish military from civilian targets. Distance does not absolve responsibility. Drone operators and their commanders remain legally accountable for the effects of their actions, just like any other combatant.   Without stronger regulation and accountability, the drone arms race will escalate. More actors will deploy more drones, with fewer safeguards and humanitarian consequences will multiply.   As drones edge towards greater autonomy, they intersect with another deeply concerning development: autonomous weapons systems.   These weapons can select targets and apply force without any human intervention after their activation, raising serious humanitarian, legal, ethical, and security concerns.   Life-and-death decisions must never be delegated to sensors and algorithms. Human control over the use of force is critical to preserving accountability in warfare. Machines with the power to take lives without human involvement should be banned under international law.   Autonomous weapons systems that function in a way that their effects are unpredictable should be prohibited. For example, allowing autonomous weapons controlled by machine-learning algorithms – where the software writes itself without human oversight – is an unacceptably dangerous proposition.   A new legally binding instrument is critical to establish clear prohibitions and restrictions. Without it, we risk condemning future generations to a world where machines decide who lives and who dies, and accountability is dangerously eroded.   We are also in an era where the battlefield is not only physical but digital. Cyber operations have already been used to disrupt electricity, water systems, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure – often very far from the frontlines.   IHL applies to cyber operations just as it does to conventional means and methods of warfare. The principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution are just as binding in cyberspace as they are on land.   Civilian protections must be hardwired into digital warfare. That means belligerents must ensure human oversight, refrain from cyber-attacks against civilian infrastructure, and minimize foreseeable harm to civilians and civilian systems.   International humanitarian law also applies to any military activity in outer space related to armed conflict. Disabling or destroying satellites can have serious humanitarian consequences. Satellites that provide navigation, communications, and remote sensing have become indispensable to the functioning of civilian life.   Humanitarian organisations also depend on satellite services to reach people in need. Without these systems, providing life-saving assistance and helping communities recover becomes even more difficult for us.   Just as states must rigorously ensure that new weapons technologies comply with international humanitarian law, they must not neglect their responsibilities concerning conventional weapons.   Putting IHL into action and protecting civilians doesn’t only happen in active conflict zones. It also happens in the choices states make about the kinds of weapons they produce, stockpile, or prohibit.   Today, the global commitment to ban anti-personnel mines is starting to fracture, with several states that once championed disarmament now taking steps to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. This is not just a legal retreat on paper; it risks endangering lives and reversing decades of hard-fought progress.   This month also marks 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – a catastrophe that to this day continues to inflict emotional and physical suffering on survivors.   Terrifyingly, the nuclear weapons in today’s arsenals are far stronger. The bombs dropped then would today be classified as a small nuclear weapon.   But there is no such thing as a small nuclear weapon. Any use of nuclear weapons would be a catastrophic event. It would inflict a level of suffering and destruction that no humanitarian response could address. It is extremely doubtful that nuclear weapons could ever be used in accordance with international humanitarian law.   And yet, we continue to see nuclear arsenals expand, and their use be threatened with casualness and frequency. However, the number of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons continues to grow, with 73 states now parties to the treaty and another 25 that have signed it.   What happens to societies – to the world – if we fall prey to the belief that might alone makes right? When we disregard the rule of law, and pursue victory at any cost?   IHL was not created to prevent war, but to prevent barbarity in war. That distinction is crucial. It recognizes the reality of armed conflict while insisting that even in war, humanity must endure – in how we treat the wounded, in how we protect civilians, and how we treat prisoners.   Protecting hospitals as sanctuaries for the injured is not weakness. Shielding civilians from hostilities is not weakness. Allowing lifesaving aid to reach those in need is not weakness. Treating detainees with dignity is not weakness. It is strength.   It takes strength to act with restraint in the chaos of war. To resist the pull of vengeance and to rise above retribution. To preserve our shared humanity when conflict threatens to erase it.   Parties to conflict that disregard international humanitarian law do so at the cost of legitimacy. The stain of brutality stays long after the guns fall silent. It complicates post-conflict recovery, economic rebuilding, and international cooperation – and lays fertile ground for future violence and security threats to take root.   It is possible, however, to protect civilians in war. When combatants respect the rules of war – when they spare civilians, protect critical infrastructure, and care for the wounded – they reduce the long-term costs of conflict. They make recovery possible. They preserve the social fabric necessary for peace".   http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/ihl-only-as-strong-as-leaders-will-uphold-it
	Human-induced climate change continues to reach new heights by WMO, Copernicus Climate Change Service, agencies   15 Oct. 2025   Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose by a record amount in 2024, reaching new highs and locking in further long-term warming and extreme weather, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).   The surge was driven by continued human emissions, more wildfire activity and weakened absorption by land and ocean “sinks” – a development that threatens to create a vicious climate cycle.   The WMO’s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows that CO₂ growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, accelerating from an annual average increase of 0.8 parts per million (ppm) to 2.4 ppm per year, in the decade from 2011 to 2020.   The rate jumped by a record 3.5 ppm between 2023 and 2024 – the largest increase since monitoring began in 1957.   Average concentrations reached 423.9 ppm in 2024, up from 377.1 ppm when the bulletin was first published in 2004.   Roughly half of CO₂ emitted remains in the atmosphere, while the rest is absorbed by land and oceans; storage that is weakening as warming reduces ocean solubility and worsens drought.   The 2024 spike was likely amplified by an uptick in wildfires and a reduced uptake of CO₂ by land and the ocean in 2024 – the warmest year on record.   “There is concern that terrestrial and ocean CO₂ sinks are becoming less effective, which will increase the amount of CO₂ that stays in the atmosphere, thereby accelerating global warming,” said Oksana Tarasova, WMO senior scientific officer who coordinates the bulletin research.   Methane and nitrous oxide – the second and third most significant long-lived greenhouse gases – also set new emission records. Methane levels rose to 1,942 ppb, 166 per cent above pre-industrial levels, while nitrous oxide hit 338 ppb – a 25 per cent increase.   “The heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather. Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being,” said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett.   http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/carbon-dioxide-levels-increase-record-amount-new-highs-2024 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/10/1166110   13 Oct. 2025   Global forests are still in crisis. (Forest Declaration Assessment 2025)   Deforestation and degradation rates remained stubbornly high in 2024, pushing the world even further off track from the shared goal of halting and reversing forest loss by 2030.   While some countries are demonstrating that progress is possible, the global trend remains one of stagnation, not transformation.   The Forest Declaration Assessment 2025 finds that:   8.1 million hectares of forest were lost in 2024, a level of destruction 63% higher than the trajectory needed to halt deforestation by 2030. Loss of humid primary tropical forests—the irreplaceable stores of carbon and biodiversity—spiked In 2024, largely due to climate change-induced increase of forest fires.   Forest degradation affected 8.8 million hectares affected in 2024—eroding ecosystem integrity and climate resilience.   Restoration efforts are expanding, but global data remain too fragmented to determine whether the world is recovering forests at the scale required. Financial flows are still grossly misaligned with forest goals, with harmful subsidies outweighing green subsidies by over 200:1. Despite new pledges, the flow of funds to forest countries and local actors remains far below what’s necessary to deliver on 2030 goals. Delivery on corporate and financial sector commitments is lagging, and transparency remains inconsistent.   At the halfway point to 2030, the world should be seeing a steep decline in deforestation. Instead, the global deforestation curve has not begun to bend.   http://forestdeclaration.org/resources/forest-declaration-assessment-2025/ http://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/banks-make-26-billion-in-a-decade-of-financing-deforesting-companies/   Sep. 2025   We are putting the stability of the entire life support system on Earth at risk, reports the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research   Scientists announce that 7 of 9 key 'planetary boundaries' have been crossed. (AFP)   A team of global scientists issued a new report this week, highlighting that seven out of nine of key "planetary boundaries" have been crossed.   Humans are gambling with the very stability of Earth’s life support systems, scientists warned, cautioning that ocean acidity is yet another key planetary threshold to be breached.   The team of global scientists assessed that seven of nine so-called “planetary boundaries” – processes that regulate Earth’s stability, resilience and ability to sustain life – had now been crossed.   Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, freshwater depletion, overuse of agricultural fertilisers, and the release of artificial chemicals and plastics into the environment were all already exceeded.   In their new report, the scientists said all seven were “showing trends of increasing pressure – suggesting further deterioration and destabilisation of planetary health in the near future".   Destructive and polluting activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are driving these further into risky territory and increasingly interacting with each other.   “We are putting the stability of the entire life support system on Earth at risk,” said Johan Rockstrom, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), at a press conference to launch the research.   “We are moving even further away from the safe operating space, risking destabilising our Earth and with an increasing risk growing year by year,” said Levke Caesar, co-lead of Planetary Boundaries Science at PIK.   Many of the causes of deterioration are interlinked, showing both the wide-ranging impact of human activities but also avenues for action.   The use of fossil fuels is a key example, driving climate change as well as fuelling plastic pollution and the rise in ocean acidification. The world’s seas are estimated to have absorbed roughly 30 percent of the excess carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from the burning of oil, gas and coal.   This alters the pH of the ocean, affecting the ability of organisms such as corals, shellfish and some forms of plankton to form shells and skeletons. Scientists said there was already evidence of shell damage, particularly for marine animals in polar and coastal regions.   “What we see in the data is no longer abstract. It is showing up in the world around us right now,” said Caesar.   One positive in this year’s dire report is that aerosol emissions have fallen, despite the continued scourge of severe particulate pollution in some regions. The final boundary – ozone depletion – remains within safe bounds, which scientists said demonstrates the success of global co-operation to restrict ozone-depleting pollutants.   Scientists have quantified safe boundaries for these interlocking facets of the Earth system, which feed off and amplify each other. For climate change, for example, the threshold is linked to the concentration of heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere.   This hovered close to 280 parts per million (ppm) for at least 10,000 years prior to the Industrial Revolution, and researchers suggest the boundary is 350 ppm. Concentrations in 2025 are 423 ppm.   The assessment of the world’s biodiversity and ecosystems is even more perilous. “Nature’s safety net is unravelling: extinctions and loss of natural productivity are far above safe levels, and there is no sign of improvement,” the report states.   24 Sep. 2025   Johan Rockstrom, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) address to heads of state at the United Nations General Assembly:   "It’s now 10 years since the world in Paris entered a legally-binding agreement to avoid dangerous climate change. Since then, science has become overwhelmingly clear: allowing long-term global warming to exceed 1.5°C constitutes danger.   And yet, greenhouse gas emissions continue rising and in 2024 annual global temperature change was pushed beyond 1.5°C for the first time on our watch. This is a deep concern. An even deeper concern is that warming appears to be accelerating, outpacing emissions.   The long-term average warming is now between 1.3 and 1.4°C. We are on a path to breach the 1.5°C multi-decadal boundary within the next 5-10 years. Here, we must admit failure.   Failure to protect peoples and nations from unmanageable impacts of human-induced climate change.   But we don’t have to keep failing. Returning to below 1.5°C by the end of the century must remain the obligation for all international efforts to limit dangerous climate change.   Extreme heat, fires, droughts, water scarcity, flooding and soil degradation, reinforced by us, are already impacting the lives of billions of people around the world. Beyond 1.5°C, these dangers will become increasingly unmanageable. Every tenth of a degree of avoided warming saves lives and livelihoods – this is not the time for resignation.   Beyond 1.5°C there is also a real risk of crossing tipping points. The most recent science concludes we are therefore dangerously close to triggering fundamental and irreversible changes.   If we make the right choices going forward, there are still ‘overshoot’ pathways that could bring temperatures back below 1.5°C by the end of this century. Such a narrow escape remains possible, but it will be extremely challenging. It requires deep and rapid reduction of all greenhouse gases, involving the near complete transition – starting now – away from fossil fuels.   We also know that cutting emissions won’t be enough. We need to massively scale up carbon dioxide removal (through natural processes). For each 0.1°C of planetary cooling, 200 billion tons need to be removed from the atmosphere.   But even if this succeeds, we fail, unless we safeguard the world’s most powerful carbon sink and cooling system - a healthy planet.   If we don’t return to the "safe operating space” of the nine Planetary Boundaries that regulate Earth’s stability, (including biodiversity, pollutants, land, nutrients and the ocean) a safe climate will be out of reach – irrespective of our mitigation efforts.   Don’t be fooled: we are currently following a path that will take us to 3°C in just 75 years.   An existential threat we have not experienced in the last 3 million years, and there is no guarantee that efforts to cool our planet will succeed.   My message today: science is clear – we have a planetary crisis on our watch. And we do have scalable solutions for phasing out fossil fuels, efficient resource use and transformation to healthy and sustainable food. Pathways that make us all winners. The window to a manageable climate future is still open, but only just. Failure is not inevitable. It is a choice".   http://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/johan-rockstrom-addresses-heads-of-state-during-united-nations-general-assembly-201cfailure-is-not-inevitable-it-is-a-choice201d http://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/seven-of-nine-planetary-boundaries-now-breached-2013-ocean-acidification-joins-the-danger-zone http://www.planetaryhealthcheck.org/ http://news.exeter.ac.uk/research/new-reality-as-world-reaches-first-climate-tipping-point/ http://global-tipping-points.org/ http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adv2906 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/development-cannot-be-achieved-dying-planet-un-committee-issues-new-guidance http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/ec12gc27-general-comment-no-27-2025-economic-social http://climateandhealthalliance.org/press-releases/cross-cutting-report-reveals-devastating-global-health-impacts-of-fossil-fuels-thru-production-life-cycle-across-human-lifespan http://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03313-z http://www.solargeoeng.org/african-ministers-call-for-a-non-use-agreement-on-solar-geoengineering http://www.ciel.org/geoengineering-biodiversity-risks/   Apr. 2025 (Copernicus Climate Change Service, agencies)   The average global temperature last month was 1.6C (2.88F) higher than in pre-industrial times, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Tuesday.   March 2025 was the 20th month in a 21-month period for which the global-average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. 14 of these 20 months, from September 2023 to April 2024, and from October 2024 to March 2025, were substantially above 1.5°C, ranging from 1.58°C to 1.78°C.   Scientists have warned that every fraction of a degree of global warming increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts.   Samantha Burgess, strategic lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs the C3S service, noted that Europe experienced extremes in both heavy rain and drought in March.   Europe last month recorded “many areas experiencing their driest March on record and others their wettest March on record for at least the past 47 years”, Burgess said.   Scientists said climate change also intensified an extreme heatwave across Central Asia and fuelled conditions for extreme rainfall in countries like Argentina.   Arctic sea ice also fell to its lowest monthly extent last month for any March in the 47-year record of satellite data, C3S said. The previous three months also set record lows.   The main driver of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, according to climate scientists. But even as the costs of disasters due to climate change spiral, the political will to invest in curbing emissions has waned in some countries.   United States President Donald Trump has called climate change a “hoax”, despite the overwhelming global scientific consensus that it is human-caused and will have severe and ongoing consequences if not urgently addressed.   In January, Trump signed an executive order to have the US withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming. In 2015, nearly 200 nations agreed in Paris that limiting warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels offered the best chance of preventing the most catastrophic repercussions of climate change.   Friederike Otto of the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London told the AFP news agency that the world is “firmly in the grip of human-caused climate change”. “That we’re still at 1.6C above pre-industrial is indeed remarkable,” she said.   http://climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-temperature-maps http://climate.copernicus.eu/second-warmest-march-globally-large-wet-and-dry-anomalies-europe http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-report-documents-spiralling-weather-and-climate-impacts http://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/pace-of-warming-has-doubled-since-1980s http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/global-climate-predictions-show-temperatures-expected-remain-or-near-record-levels-coming-5-years   Apr. 2025   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres message for International Earth Day:   Mother Earth is running a fever. Last year was the hottest ever recorded: The final blow in a decade of record heat.   We know what’s causing this sickness: the greenhouse gas emissions humanity is pumping into the atmosphere – overwhelmingly from burning fossil fuels. We know the symptoms: devastating wildfires, floods and heat. Lives lost and livelihoods shattered.   And we know the cure: rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and turbocharging adaptation, to protect ourselves – and nature – from climate disasters.   Getting on the road to recovery is a win-win. Renewable power is cheaper, healthier, and more secure than fossil fuel alternatives. And action on adaptation is critical to creating robust economies and safer communities, now and in the future.   This year is critical. All countries must create new national climate action plans that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius – essential to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe.   This is a vital chance to seize the benefits of clean power. I urge all countries to take it, with the G20 leading the way. We also need action to tackle pollution, slam the brakes on biodiversity loss, and deliver the finance countries need to protect our planet.   Together, let’s get to work and make 2025 the year we restore good health to Mother Earth.   http://wmo.int/publication-series/state-of-global-climate-2024 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1159846 http://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-january-2025-was-warmest-record-globally-despite-emerging-la-nina http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-confirms-2024-warmest-year-record-about-155degc-above-pre-industrial-level http://wmo.int/media/news/climate-change-impacts-grip-globe-2024 http://wmo.int/media/news/record-carbon-emissions-highlight-urgency-of-global-greenhouse-gas-watch http://www.worldweatherattribution.org/when-risks-become-reality-extreme-weather-in-2024 http://climatenetwork.org/2025/02/11/over-90-of-countries-fail-to-submit-new-ndcs-by-deadline http://www.iied.org/country-climate-targets-another-missed-deadline-make-change-happen-podcast-episode-31   Apr. 2025   Weathering the storm: poverty, climate change and social protection Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter.   While governments procrastinate, oligarchs win elections and authoritarian regimes seek to hide scientific data, the environmental collapse of the planet continues unabated.   Droughts, floods, heatwaves, storms and wildfires are becoming the new normal in all regions. Low-income countries and low-income households – those least to blame for the climate crisis – are being hit the hardest.   At a time when international solidarity faces threats unprecedented since the Second World War, the world can no longer depend solely on disaster relief to pick up the pieces when extreme weather hits. Nor should it.   Instead, the Special Rapporteur argues for a move from an ad hoc humanitarian approach to protecting people in poverty from climate disasters, towards establishing, strengthening and financing rights-based social protection.   Social protection is the most effective tool at our disposal for building people’s ability to withstand and recover from shocks, including climate-related shocks, yet the majority of the world’s poor have no access to social security whatsoever and are left to fend for themselves.   The Special Rapporteur urges Governments to take a powerful stand against current attempts to derail the international order that is based on the Charter of the United Nations by living up to pledges made to support low-income countries to establish social protection floors. International financial support, from traditional and new financing sources, could be channelled through a global fund for social protection; a positive incentive for low-income countries to invest in social protection which would in turn protect the most vulnerable from the climate volatility that is in no way of their making.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5951-weathering-storm-poverty-climate-change-and-social-protection   Apr. 2025   Clean energy can be Africa’s greatest success story, which is why its leaders must not fall for the pro-coal lobbying of the Trump administration, says Mohamed Adow, Founder and Director of Power Shift Africa   President Donald Trump’s administration has recently taken to urging African leaders to burn more planet-heating fossil fuels, and in particular coal, the dirtiest of all of them. Simultaneously, it scrapped USAID funding, which had been helping millions of the poorest people in Africa survive amid expanding climate breakdown.   Those thinking of aligning with Trump’s agenda would do well to remember that the droughts, floods, and storms which have destroyed the lives and livelihoods of Africans across the continent have been supercharged by US energy policy. The US alone has produced about a quarter of all historic carbon dioxide emissions since the Industrial Revolution, which are now responsible for accelerated global warming.   Not only would a coal-based development pathway for Africa heap more misery onto its citizens who are already living on the front lines of the climate crisis, but it would also be economically suicidal.   The economic impact of the climate emergency is already taking a terrible toll on Africa, and a 2022 report by the charity Christian Aid showed that under the current climate trajectory, African countries could suffer a reduction in gross domestic product growth of 64 percent by 2100.   There is also no need for Africa to shackle itself to the outdated fossil fuel infrastructure of coal when the continent is blessed with a spectacular potential for developing clean renewable energy.   The US fossil fuel advocates would be happy to see Africa trail along in the footsteps of the Global North, rather than see the continent leapfrogging the dirty energy era in the same way it leapfrogged landline telephone technology and adopted mobile phones en masse. But Africans should know better.   No other continent has more untapped wind and solar power than Africa, and this remains the key to its long-term prosperity. From the sun-drenched deserts of North Africa to the wind-swept plains of East Africa, the continent has the natural resources to become a global leader in clean energy.   Countries such as Morocco, Kenya and South Africa are already making significant strides in renewable energy development, with projects that harness solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower.   Investing in renewable energy offers numerous benefits. It can improve energy access for millions of people, create jobs, and boost economic growth. Renewable energy projects are often more scalable and adaptable to local needs, making them ideal for rural electrification and community-based initiatives.   By contrast, coal has wrought a terrible cost to Africans. It is often touted as a cheap and reliable energy source, but this ignores the hidden costs of environmental degradation, health impacts, and the overall economic harm of climate breakdown. Moreover, the global shift towards clean energy means that investments in coal are increasingly risky and likely to become stranded assets.   African countries must resist the lobbying efforts of Trump’s fossil fuel backers and instead focus on building a sustainable energy future. This requires a multifaceted approach, including investment in renewable energy infrastructure, strengthening governance and policy frameworks, and fostering international cooperation.   Investing in clean energy infrastructure is crucial. This includes not only large-scale projects like solar parks and wind farms but also decentralised systems that can bring electricity to off-grid communities. Many countries across Africa are already leading the way with community-focused solar systems and microgrids, and these initiatives demonstrate how renewable energy can be both ambitious and pragmatic, addressing energy access challenges while reducing reliance on imported fuels.   Strengthening governance and policy frameworks is equally important. African governments must prioritise climate adaptation and resilience in their urban planning and development processes.   This involves integrating climate considerations into all new projects and ensuring that resources are allocated where they are most needed. Effective governance structures can enable the implementation of climate adaptation strategies and ensure that investments in renewable energy are sustainable and equitable.   International cooperation and support are also vital. The global clean energy transition holds new promise for Africa’s economic and social development. Countries representing more than 70 percent of global CO2 emissions have committed to reaching net zero emissions by mid-century, including several African nations. These commitments can help attract climate finance and technology, enabling African countries to achieve their energy-related development goals on time and in full.   Africa’s path to sustainable economic development lies in embracing renewable, clean energy. The continent has the natural resources and innovative spirit to become a global leader in renewables, improving energy access, creating jobs, and reversing the climate crisis. By resisting the fossil fuel industry’s attempts to perpetuate coal use, African countries can build a resilient and prosperous future for their people.   Clean energy can be Africa’s greatest success story. For that to happen, African leaders must not take advice from a US president who admits he only cares about “America First”.   http://www.powershiftafrica.org/ http://africaclimateplatform.com/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/africa-climate-justice-activists-to-submit-petition-to-achpr-seeking-courts-opinion-on-human-rights-obligations-of-african-states-in-the-context-of-climate-change/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/05/05/top-african-rights-court-consider-states-climate-obligations http://sdg.iisd.org/commentary/guest-articles/african-unions-voice-at-the-icj-seeking-climate-justice/ http://www.hhrjournal.org/2025/04/20/a-breath-of-fresh-air-indian-supreme-court-declares-protection-from-climate-change-a-fundamental-right/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/council-europe-must-recognise-right-healthy-environment-un-experts-urge http://rightsindevelopment.org/news/planet-burning-people-are-demanding-justice/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5646-scene-setting-report-report-special-rapporteur-promotion-and http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-environment Visit the related web page
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