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The UN climate summit in Glasgow is entering a crucial phase. Negotiations so far have yielded new coalitions of countries committed – on paper at least – to ending deforestation and phasing out coal power. A recent analysis suggested that if COP’s net zero pledges were met, the world would limit global warming to 1.9℃ – which is within the outer bounds of the Paris Agreement.
Over the weekend, 45 governments promised to do more to protect nature – an important step for many different kinds of habitat, including a unique kind of coral reef found not far from where COP is being held.
On the conference agenda this week is compensation for the nations hardest hit by climate change. Much of the debate concerns whether and when the $100 billion per year promised to poor countries will materialise. But Kamiar Mohaddes, from the University of Cambridge, argues that what rich countries call aid needs further scrutiny. There often seem to be a lot strings attached.
Transport is a dirty sector and one of the most fiendish to decarbonise. Delegates will be discussing that on Wednesday. Maritime shipping, which delivers 90% of global trade, is a particular problem. The goal is to halve shipping emissions by 2050 but research from the University of Manchester indicates this is not good enough to avoid catastrophic global warming. Simon Bullock, lead author of the paper, urges leaders in the industry to cut emissions by a third
this decade, and reach zero well before mid-century.
Delegates at COP26 are probably in for a sleepless week. But how much sleep is enough, anyway? And while the Bank of England recently held off on raising interest rates as expected, an economist writes that a rise is on the cards in
the not too distant future.
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Jack Marley
Environment + Energy Editor and Host of the Climate Fight podcast series
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Cold-water coral reefs occur at greater depths than their tropical equivalents.
Sebastian Hennige
Heidi Burdett, Heriot-Watt University; Cornelia Simon-Nutbrown, Heriot-Watt University
Cold-water corals live in the Atlantic’s frigid depths – and the UK is a stronghold for them.
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The shipping sector is in urgent need of decarbonisation.
pxhere.com
Simon Bullock, University of Manchester; Alice Larkin, University of Manchester; James Mason, University of Manchester
The global shipping sector delivers 90% of global trade and has a carbon footprint the size of Germany’s.
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Does too much sleep really increase your risk of cognitive decline?
Dragan Grkic/Shutterstock
Greg Elder, Northumbria University, Newcastle
The researchers found that people who slept less than 4.5 hours and more than 6.5 hours every night had a greater risk of cognitive decline.
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Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey announcing the latest on lending rates.
EPA
John Whittaker, Lancaster University
Against all speculation, the bank decided to hold the base rate at all-time lows for another month.
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Environment + Energy
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Kamiar Mohaddes, University of Cambridge; Matt Burke, Sheffield Hallam University; Matthew Agarwala, University of Cambridge; Patrycja Klusak, University of East Anglia
Early investments generate rapid cost reductions, while further delay simply slows innovation and compounds the climate crisis.
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Robert Poole, University of Central Lancashire
Photographing the full Earth from space could provide a profound and timely reminder of its vulnerability in the face of climate change.
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Milan Klöwer, University of Oxford
Reducing jet fuel consumption by 2.5% each year could halt aviation’s growing influence on climate change.
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James Sloam, Royal Holloway University of London
Supporting youth involvement in climate policymaking helps keep sustainability at the top of governments’ priorities.
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Arts + Culture
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Daniel Conway, University of Westminster
Damon Galgut joins a distinguished line of South African authors, who are grappling with the complex dynamics of the country’s white community in their writing.
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Steve Waters, University of East Anglia
Theatre companies who experimented with outside performances during the pandemic should not abandon them.
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Christina Thatcher, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Research has found that poetry can make people feel the urgency of climate change more keenly.
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Business + Economy
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Paul David Richard Griffiths, EM Normandie – UGEI
Banks are making inroads with investments, but that’s only one third of their activity.
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Christian Harrison, University of the West of Scotland
As COVID gradually recedes and attention focuses on economic recovery, good leadership is essential to help companies and their employees navigate a post-pandemic future.
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Politics + Society
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Eline van Ommen, University of Leeds
Once a Sandinista revolutionary, Ortega’s oppressive neoliberal regime now imprisons opponents and raids newspaper offices.
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Science + Technology
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Sanae Okamoto, United Nations University; Raf Sluismans, Maastricht University
Global leaders at COP26 need to understand what is at stake for each nation and build trust to achieve a successful outcome.
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Featured events
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— Museum of London, 150 London Wall, Barbican, London, EC2Y 5HN, London, London, City of, EC2Y 5HN, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Gresham College
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— The Open University, Walton Hall, Buckinghamshire, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — The Open University
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— Online, Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Southampton
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— The Open University, Walton Hall, Buckinghamshire, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — The Open University
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