Category: COP28

MIL-OSI Security: IAEA Director General Grossi Discusses Global Non-proliferation, Nuclear Safety Issues with Senior US Officials in Washington DC

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

IAEA Director General Grossi met with World Bank President Ayaj Banga during his three-day visit to Washington DC. (Photo: D. Candano/IAEA)

“To achieve sustainable development and prosperity, the world needs an abundance of clean, reliable and sustainable energy,” Director General Grossi said.

With World Bank President Banga, Director General Grossi shared the IAEA’s perspective on nuclear energy and said the IAEA stands ready, upon request, to provide technical support to MDBs, particularly on nuclear infrastructure development including nuclear safety, security and safeguards.

The World Bank and other MDBs currently do not contribute financing to nuclear power new build projects, although some MDBs have provided lending for upgrades to existing nuclear power reactors or their decommissioning.

Director General Grossi said that financing nuclear power would better align MDBs with the “new global consensus” forged at COP28 in Dubai, where the world called for accelerating the deployment of nuclear power along with other zero emission energy technologies to achieve deep and rapid decarbonization.

In addition, the Director General spoke at two high-profile think-tank events organised by the Council on Foreign Relations and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace respectively, answering questions on Iran’s nuclear programme, North Korea’s nuclear activities, the renewed worldwide momentum for nuclear energy and other current issues.

MIL Security OSI –

April 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VI – European Economic and Social Committee – A10-0054/2025

Source: European Parliament

2. MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VI – European Economic and Social Committee

(2024/2025(DEC))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VI – European Economic and Social Committee,

– having regard to Rule 102 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A10-0054/2025),

A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the particular importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and accountability, and by implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;

B. whereas the European Economic and Social Committee (the ‘Committee’) is an advisory body of the Union providing a forum for consultation, dialogue and consensus among representatives of the various economic, social and civil components of organised civil society from the Member States;

C. whereas the Committee contributes to the Union decision-making process and, by ensuring links between Union policies and economic, social and civic circumstances, it pursues its missions of better law making, participatory democracy from the bottom up and the promotion of European values;

D. whereas the consultation of the Committee by the Commission or the Council is mandatory in certain cases, and the Committee may also adopt opinions on its own initiative while enjoying a wide area for referral as defined by the Single European Act, the Maastricht Treaty and the Amsterdam Treaty, allowing it to be consulted by Parliament;

E. whereas the Committee’s commission for financial and budgetary affairs (CAF) is the Committee’s supervisory body for all budgetary procedures and, in particular, the establishment of the budget estimates, the budget implementation, the annual activity report, the discharge and the follow up to the annual report of the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’);

F. whereas in the last years the Committee has taken initiatives to attract and retain skilled staff, optimise its organisational structure and working methods and promote a respectful working environment, in the context of a limited budget;

1. Notes that the budget of the Committee falls under MFF heading 7 ’European public administration’, which amounted to a total of EUR 12,3 billion, i.e. 6,4 % of Union budget spending, in 2023; notes that, in 2023, the budget of the Committee represented 1,29 % of MFF heading 7 appropriations;

2. Notes that the Court o, in its Annual Report for the financial year 2023 (the ‘Court’s report’), examined a sample of 70 transactions under Heading 7, of which 21 (30 %) contained errors; further notes that for five of those errors, which were quantified by the Court, the Court estimated a level of error below the materiality threshold;

3. Notes from the Court’s report that administrative expenditure includes expenditure on human resources including pensions, which in 2023 accounted for about 70 % of the total administrative expenditure, and on buildings, equipment, energy, communications and information technology; welcomes the fact that the Court concluded, as it did in previous years, that, overall, administrative spending is low risk; notes that the Court did not identify any specific issue concerning the Committee in 2023;

Budgetary and financial management

4. Notes that the final adopted budget for the Committee was EUR 158 767 970 in 2023, representing an overall increase of 4,1 % compared to 2022; notes from the Committee’s replies to the questionnaire submitted by the Committee on Budgetary Control for the 2023 budgetary discharge (the ‘Questionnaire’) and the Committee’s annual activity report for 2023 (the ‘Annual report’) that the remuneration and allowances budget line (expenses with Committee’s staff and Members) increased by 8,4 % between 2022 and 2023 due to the inflation; notes from the Questionnaire that the budget for outside assistance for the operation, development and maintenance of software systems increased by 33,70 % from 2022 to 2023 due to the Committee having made the implementation of its digital strategy for 2024-2026 a priority in 2023; notes that, otherwise, the distribution of appropriations across other budget lines in the Committee’s 2023 budget remained comparable to previous years’ distribution;

5. Notes with satisfaction that the rate of the Committee’s budget implementation of current year commitment appropriations increased further from 96,12 % in 2022 to 98,70 % in 2023, leaving behind the lower budgetary implementation in previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related travel restrictions; notes further that the current year payment appropriations execution rate increased from 88,12 % in 2022 to 90,67 % in 2023; notes that the average payment time in 2023 was 20,14 days, higher than in 2022 (i.e. 18,34 days);

6. Notes that the carry-over of appropriations from 2023 to 2024 amounted to EUR 13 827 713 (i.e. approx. 8,70 % of the Committee’s budget for 2023), which represents a decrease from the previous year’s level of EUR 20 162 518 (i.e. approx. 13 % of the Committee’s budget for 2022); notes further with appreciation that the rate of implementation of the appropriations carried over from 2022 to 2023 was 86,76 % in 2023, compared to 76,91 % in 2022; encourages the Committee to continue the efficient use of the provided funds;

7. Notes that the Committee’s own services launched 12 negotiated procedures below EUR 60 000 in 2022, mainly for case studies, studies and logistical support; notes that the Committee also launched six procurement procedures with the joint services shared with the European Committee of the Regions (the ‘CoR’) mainly in the field of logistics and maintenance;

8. Notes that, in 2023, the Committee continued to improve the cost-effectiveness of its activities, including through hybrid work, increased teleworking, full dematerialisation of financial circuits and reduced energy consumption; notes from the Questionnaire that the Committee achieved financial savings of EUR 65 000 in 2023 due to a reduction in energy consumption; commends the Committee for having signed a new framework contract for medical checks that provides for lower prices, increased flexibility and better service overall than the previous contract; acknowledges the significant budgetary and administrative savings achieved by the Committee through interinstitutional cooperation, notably the joint services with the CoR and the outsourcing (Service level agreements) of specific services to the Commission in the handling of HR and the use of financial and HR management IT tools, as well as the participation in interinstitutional procurement procedures led by other institutions; notes from the Questionnaire that the total cost incurred by the Committee for the outsourcing of specific services to the Commission increased from EUR 743 600 in 2022 to EUR 793 000 in 2023;

9. Recalls that the Council decision of 25 May 2023 set the allowance for remote attendance of members of the Committee at non-statutory meetings at EUR 145 per remote meeting per day, which represents 50 % of the daily allowance for physical participation in 2023; considers that despite remote attendance being an important instrument for modern institutions given that, inter alia, it reduces the costs of meetings and allows broader participation, the allocation of an allowance for remote attendance of meetings, even if reduced and intended only for some types of events, is difficult to understand for the public, even more so when taking into consideration the difference paid to the members of the Committee and members of the CoR for remote attendance; notes with satisfaction from the Committee’s follow-up report to Parliament’s resolution on the implementation of the Committee’s budget for 2022 (the ‘Follow-up report’) that the application of that decision has already produced budgetary savings of EUR 1 677 000 due to lower travel costs and allowances paid, as well as environmental savings of some 553,66 tons of CO2, due to less travel in 2023; notes from the Annual report that the number of reimbursed meetings days attended remotely was 2006 (6 259 in 2022), with an average duration of 3 hours per meeting for a total cost of EUR 294 930 in 2023 (EUR 922 925 in 2022); welcomes multiple checks carried out by the Committee to prove the remote attendance of members prior to the payment of the allowance;

10. Notes that the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continued to put pressure on the Committee’s budget in 2023, through rising inflation and salary adjustments, challenges in building projects due to delays and higher raw material prices, the indexation of rental contracts (+10,3 % in 2023 compared to 2022), as well as indexation of maintenance and security service contracts (+13,50 % in 2023 compared to 2021); notes in particular that the energy costs increased from EUR 726 000 to EUR 3 125 000 between 2021 and 2022, before decreasing to EUR 1 923 391 in 2023; acknowledges the 2 % cap for non-salary-related expenses; commends in this context the Committee for its initiative in addressing challenges at budgetary level by e.g. implementing energy-saving strategies through short-term, as well as medium- and long-term measures, thus not needing an amending budget in 2023;

11. Notes a decrease in the current year appropriations for budget line 1004 (expenditure for Member’s travel, including subsistence and meetings allowances) from EUR 19,790 million in 2022 (of which EU 15,895 million were paid) to EUR 19,761 million in 2023 (of which EU 18,344 million were paid); notes with satisfaction an improvement in the implementation rate of those appropriations from 80,31 % in 2022 to 92,83 % in 2023; notes that the Committee President participated in 35 missions totalling EUR 71 926 in 2023 against 26 missions totalling EUR 38 042 in 2022;

12. Notes from the Questionnaire that the Joint Directorate for Innovation and Information Technology of the Committee and the CoR allocates some 3 % of its IT budget to cybersecurity which is far from the 10 % target provided for in the relevant legislation; calls on the co-legislators and the Commission to take this into account in the framework of the annual budgetary procedure;

Internal management, performance and internal control

13. Notes from the Annual report that, as part of its annual work programme for 2023, the Committee had a total of 31 objectives designed for all entities of its administration and, as part of the general secretariat’s strategy for 2021-2025, the Committee has five core values and five key strategic objectives; notes from the Questionnaire that the number of opinions produced and participations in high-level meetings are key indicators for measures the Committee’s performance; takes note from the Questionnaire that the Committee has performance indicators in various areas, such as IT, HR, translation and communication; asks the Committee to include in its future reporting a list of all key performance indicators and objectives, per activity, as well as the target ( %) set for achieving them and the level ( %) of their achievement;

14. Notes that the Committee pursues its mission through opinions, which refer to legislative proposals made by the Commission (referrals), own-initiative opinions, which call on the Union institutions to take action, and exploratory opinions, which feed into the Commission’s work on its planned initiatives, and that the Committee’s positions can be highlighted in resolutions or included in evaluation and information reports; commends the Committee for its performance in assisting Parliament, the Council and the Commission in the legislative cycle in 2023; notes in that context that, in 2023, the Committee adopted 213 opinions and reports, an increase from 202 in 2022 and organised 146 hearings and 23 conferences, compared to 116 and 29 in 2022, respectively; notes that Committee’s members participated in 429 high-level meetings, summits and conferences in 2023 compared to 345 in 2022;

15. Appreciates that the Committee has taken action in 2023 to improve the visibility and impact of its work in connection with the format of its opinions, the methodology for follow-up opinions, cooperation with Parliament and the Commission and other projects of transversal nature, as well as innovative initiatives such as the EU Youth test, the enlargement candidate member initiative and the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, among other;

16. Commends the initiatives undertaken by the Committee aimed at fostering the active engagement of youth in the policy-making process;

17. Welcomes the pilot project implemented between September 2022 and April 2023 with the aim of strengthening the follow-up of selected opinions in respect of all institutions, whereas 19 opinions were selected for reinforced follow-up under that project; notes from the Questionnaire the overall positive results of that pilot project, such as improving the Committee’s capacity to undertake follow-up actions, improved prioritisation of Committee’s work and increased outreach and impact of the opinions selected;

18. Highlights that the efficient management of limited resources remained a key challenge throughout 2023 due to staffing constraints, compounded by increased activities under a continuous stable staffing policy; notes the Committee’s plan to introduce a new approach to strategic workforce planning and staff allocation, leveraging data collection on staff skills, active listening across the organisation, and reflections on strategic priorities by the Committee’s political bodies; invites the Committee to keep the Parliament informed of the outcome of this new plan, as this it could inspire other institutions who face similar, recurrent challenges resources wise;

19. Notes with regard to internal control standards (ICS), that the 2023 compliance exercise showed improvements compared to 2022; notes in that context that compliance, namely the extent to which the requirements of the 16 ICS are implemented, increased from 80,30 % in 2022 to 87,40 % in 2023, while effectiveness, namely the extent to which the implementation of those requirements works as intended, increased from 74 % in 2022 to 78,10 % in 2023; notes further that the 2023 annual risk assessment exercise showed that the application of internal controls decreased inherent risks (in category ‘critical’ and ‘very important’) by 53 %, from 40 to 19, in 2023;

20. Notes that a restructuration of the Internal Audit Service (IAS) took place in 2023, strengthening its compliance with international audit standards and streamlining and documenting all its process;

21 Notes that, in the area of financial transactions, the Committee’s internal audit service (IAS) adopted a new decision on the assessment of risks for the implementation of a simplified procedure in the beginning of 2023; notes further that the Committee’s Bureau adopted a new internal audit charter and an audit committee charter including procedural rules in 2023;

22. Notes from the Annual report and the Questionnaire that in 2023, the IAS launched four audits, namely on meeting authorisations, selecting the consultative commission on Industrial change, strategic cycle and duration and distance allowances for Committee’s members; calls on the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed on the outcome of those audits and implement all open recommendations resulted from previous audits (on institutional deadlines, interpreting, verification, ethics and integrity, statutory rights and payment times);

Human resources, equality and staff well-being

23. Notes that, at the end of 2023, the Committee was employing 707 staff members, compared to 706 in 2022; notes further that 49 contract agents and 130 temporary agents (of which 52 recruited in 2023) were employed in 2023 (compared to 50 contract agents and 128 temporary agents in 2022); notes, in addition, that the Committee was employing 12 interim agents and 10 external staff working intra muros, excluding external services providers in the fields of logistics and IT; takes note that the occupation rate was 95,50 % in 2023 compared to 95,10 % in 2022 and the staff turnover rate was 7 % in 2023;

24. Welcomes the ongoing efforts of the Committee to improve its HR framework with a view to becoming an attractive employer and a workplace, where every individual is valued and can fully develop their potential; notes that as part of implementing its HR strategy for 2023-2025, the Committee delivered on several key milestones in 2023, with new decisions being adopted on working conditions (hybrid working, overtime, special leave), diversity and inclusion strategy and action plan for 2023-2027, staff mobility and the methodology on sensitive posts, as well as on staff appraisal and promotions system, among other; notes with satisfaction the positive results of the staff satisfaction survey published in May 2023, whereby both staff and managers expressed high levels of satisfaction with various HR related, matters in particular on working arrangements, a topic on which it appears the Committee has found the perfect balance;

25. Notes that the Committee became a net importer of talent (from other institutions) for the second consecutive year as a result of implementing a targeted attractiveness and retention plan; acknowledges nevertheless persistent challenges due to reliance on temporary agents amid a shortfall of EPSO reserve lists, posing risks to expertise retention; underlines the importance of permanent staff in maintaining skills, continuity and productive working environment; recommends the Committee to implement initiatives to respond to those challenges by, for example, organising internal competitions;

26. Notes that with a view to better distributing its scarce resources, an external HR mapping audit, commissioned by the Committee, was finalised in 2023; notes with concern that the results of that audit confirmed the heavy workload in many different services across the Committee, thus putting at risk the fulfilment of the Committee’s mission and obligations; calls on the Committee to implement that audit’s recommendations, including revising the appraisal and performance system by 2025, adopting the new working conditions decision, and conducting regular staff engagement monitoring; stresses the importance of strategic workforce planning to optimize resource allocation, ensure alignment with the high-level priorities set by political authorities and continue its cost-efficiency efforts;

27. Notes that in 2023 the positive trends initiated in 2022 in relation to recruitment of staff continued; commends the Committee for the actions taken in this area such as the alignment of publication of vacancy posts with the publication of new EPSO reserve lists or the publication of job opportunities on the Committee’s website and Linkedin, among other; asks the Committee to keep Parliament informed of the outcome of its pilot project on employer branding activities; underlines that the on-boarding of newcomers constitutes an important factor of strategic alignment by ensuring that staff are informed of the rules and strategies in place in an institution; commends the Committee for having strengthened the on-boarding of new staff members in 2023 through an updated welcome booklet and on-boarding letter, a welcome pack with eco-friendly goodies, a feedback loop on the on-boarding experience, improved welcome session timing, a revamped Newcomers’ Corner, and on-boarding tips for managers;

28. Recalls that the Committee adopted Decision 282/23A, effective 1 January 2024, establishing a flexible, trust-based hybrid working policy while offering staff an improved work-life balance and enhancing adaptability and efficiency; asks the Committee to inform the discharge authority about the developments in this regard in timely manner;

29. Welcomes the appointment of a female Secretary-General in January 2024 as a positive development towards achieving gender balance; regrets however that the percentage of women in senior management remained low in 2023, with only two out of seven senior management positions currently being held by women; welcomes nevertheless that the Committee considers the gender balance of its staff and in particular in the senior management as an important factor and invites the Committee to swiftly improve the situation at the highest levels of the Committee, by ensuring a balanced representation in line with the Committee’s commitments to diversity and inclusion;

30. Regrets that the Committee was unable to provide data on cases of burnout in 2023 and rejects the Committee’s position expressed in its follow-up report whereby burnout as such is not a recognised medical diagnosis and the reasons for burnout may be manifold; recalls the importance of statistical data on burnout with the aim ofhelping to take decisions on staff well-being, which should be also based on lessons learned from past very unfortunate experiences, and on external evaluations of the current framework; acknowledges data protection constraints but stresses the value of anonymised statistical data to support informed managerial decisions; notes with concern the findings highlighting heavy workloads in several services due to limited human resources; welcomes the adoption of new working arrangements as a positive step, but encourages the Committee to take further steps to ensure the publication of anonymised data on burnout cases;

31. Notes that, in 2023, the Committee was employing staff members from all Member States, with some of them being overrepresented (e.g. Belgium, Italy.); notes that in 2023 24 % of managers employed by the Committee were from the 13 Member States that joined the Union after 2004, which represents a slight increase compared to 21 % in 2022 and 19 % in 2021; reiterates its encouragement to the Committee to continue to take action to reach a proper geographical distribution within its staff, with a particular focus on management level;

32. Welcomes the Committee’s efforts to create a healthy work environment for its staff members; commends particularly the emphasis placed by the Committee on mental and physical health of staff, and the efforts made with regard to awareness-raising about health-related issues; notes the Committee’s measures on the management of sick leave, such as medical part-time and extended remote working, to ensure that staff on long-term sickness related absence return to work in a timely fashion, as well as an increase in the percentage of staff with no absences from 27 % in 2022 to 30 % in 2023; observes with satisfaction that the Committee arranged a free of charge skin cancer screening campaign on the Committee’s premises where 104 staff members over four days were consulted by external dermatologists in 2023;

Ethical framework and transparency

33. Welcomes the adoption of the new diversity and inclusion strategy, effective until 2027; commends the specific awareness-raising actions on disability undertaken in early 2024; notes with satisfaction that diversity and inclusion training remains mandatory for managers and recommended for staff; acknowledges the Committee’s strong commitment to fostering a fully inclusive workplace; encourages the Committee to take further steps to monitor the representation of employees with disabilities and ensure the publication of anonymised data in this regard;

34. Notes that the Committee continued its internal reform process with the adoption of a decision on the general implementing provisions on administrative investigations and implementing rules for disciplinary proceedings in 2023; commends the Committee for having taken this last step necessary to fully implement the measures for a reinforced ethical framework of the Committee; notes from the Follow-up report that the Committee and the internal auditor have agreed on an action plan relating to the audit of the Committee’s ethics and integrity, with eight recommendations implemented and closed and two recommendations still open to be implemented by March 2025; asks the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed on the progress made in this matter;

35. Notes that the Committee continued to train staff and raise awareness about topics related to whistleblowing, conflicts of interest and other ethical issues in 2023: notes in this context with satisfaction the results of the staff engagement survey carried out in 2023 showing a high awareness rate among staff, with regard to the Committee’s ethical framework, in particular on the networks of confidential counsellors (93 %) and ethics counsellors (83 %); observes that the Committee organised 12 training sessions on those topics with a total participation of 79 staff members in 2023; commends the Committee for organising compulsory training on respect and dignity at work for all staff, including managers;

36. Notes that one harassment complaint was reported in 2023 and closed the same year, as a result of investigation and mediation by the Committee, without sanctions being imposed; recalls that the Committee is a civil party in the ongoing legal proceedings initiated by Belgian national authorities against a former member accused of misconduct that is currently before the Belgian courts; asks the Committee to inform Parliament about developments in that case; believes that fostering a culture of respect and dignity, supported by a zero-tolerance policy on harassment, is crucial to prevent future allegations and to ensure a safe and inclusive working environment within the Committee;

37. Reiterates that a zero-tolerance policy against harassment is needed to protect the wellbeing of staff and is a duty of any employer; reminds that in addressing harassment claims a lesson learned approach should be put in place in order to avoid any possible wrongdoing; still considers that an external and independent investigation into the case currently under legal proceeding would be beneficial to improve the Committee’s reaction to similar cases;

38. Appreciates the Committee’s readiness to cooperate with the Union’s investigative bodies, namely the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the Ombudsman; notes that two OLAF cases were opened in 2023, both of which were dismissed in the same year: one for lack of sufficient evidence and the other referred to the Committee for follow-up; asks the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed of the progress made in the second case; notes further that the Ombudsman opened an enquiry in 2023 in relation to the management of a case involving allegations of harassment; asks the Committee to inform the discharge authority of the outcome of that enquiry;

39. Notes with satisfaction the Committee’s work towards more transparency in its activities in 2023; notes in that context the adoption of a decision broadening the range of documents available online via the Transparency Register, such as the Committee’s meeting minutes and attendance lists, as well as a decision requesting the Committee’s members to meet only registered stakeholders, publish their list of meetings and attach their “legislative footprint” to their opinions; appreciates that the Committee publishes online information on its annual budget, performance indicators, expenditure or public procurement; calls for the publication of all meetings held by EESC members with third parties;

40. Noes with satisfaction that the Committee has put solid rules and procedures in place to prevent conflicts of interests and avoid revolving doors with regard to staff who engage in outside activities or members who take on jobs after no longer being a Committee member; notes in this context that the Committee has introduced a new “Declaration of financial interests form” in 2023; notes that the form is to be declared by members, delegates, alternates and advisors for both their remunerated and non-remunerated posts or activities outside the Committee; commends further the Committee for its involvement in 2023 in the political negotiations to create the Inter-institutional Ethics Body tasked with setting ethical standards to strengthen transparency and integrity;

41. Notes that the Committee Bureau, on 21 March 2023, adopted several transparency measures in accordance with the principles laid down with respect to the EU Transparency Register, such as a recommendation for office-holding members to only meet with registered stakeholders, the obligation for office holding members to publish their lists of meetings and a voluntary ‘legislative footprint’ for rapporteurs; notes that several actions were taken to implement the Bureau decision, including the issuing of a service note laying down practical modalities for the implementation of the decision, an awareness training campaign, and the provisions of template messages to be included in correspondence between Committee members and external stakeholders encouraging to join the EU Transparency Register (if applicable);

42. Urges the EESC to implement real-time tracking of declared conflicts of interest, requiring all members and senior staff to publicly disclose financial interests, assets, and external affiliations annually, to prevent undue influence on decision-making;

43. Notes an absence of cases in areas of fraud, conflicts of interest and whistleblowing in 2023; notes that the effectiveness of the Committee’s anti-fraud measures was reviewed in order to develop an anti-fraud strategy which is still missing despite several requests from Parliament in its discharge resolutions to take action to improve the overall anti-fraud system; recalls the importance of a comprehensive anti-fraud strategy and calls on the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed of the outcome of that exercise that should have culminated with the adoption of an anti-fraud strategy in 2024;

Digitalisation, cybersecurity and data protection

44. Notes that the combined IT budget of both the Committee and the CoR was EUR 12 700 000 in 2023, compared to EUR 11 712 000 in 2022, i.e. an increase of 8,4 %, whereas EUR 350 000 of that budget (or 3 % thereof) was paid for cybersecurity in 2023; notes further that 6,24 % of the Committee’s total budget for 2023 represented expenditure for actions implementing the new ‘Digital Strategy 2024-2026’ (DS2026) prepared by the Joint Directorate for Innovation and Information Technology (DIIT) in 2023;

45. Notes that DS2026 envisions a future where technology integrates with the Committee’s core mission, focusing on efficiency, speed, and continuous digital evolution, putting both administration and members at the centre of digital transformation and aiming to improve service delivery, empowerment, and adaptability; notes that DS2026 is structured around eight objectives, eight key principles and four major projects such as the adoption of Ares and EdiT which are expected to be rolled out in 2026 and 2025, respectively; notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire the progress made by DIIT in implementing DS2026 in 2023, with actions taken such as the adoption of staff guidelines on artificial intelligence, integration of amendment flows with translation tools and establishment of a project management office, among many other;

46. Notes from the Annual report the Committee’s actions in the area of protection of personal data and its processing; notes that in 2023 the Committee created a new online version of its register of records and a new joint register of records with the CoR, whereas the former had 121 records and the latter had 25 records at the end of 2023; notes further that the Committee adopted a new procedure for handling data breaches, published a data protection guide and implemented several awareness-raising initiatives for its staff and members in 2023; notes lastly that the EDPS launched one enquiry in 2023 related to the management of an external audit, and continued an older enquiry on the use of cloud services under the Cloud II contracts by Union institutions, whereas for both enquiries the conclusions are still pending; asks the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed on the follow-up on these matters;

47. Notes that the Committee finalised in 2023 its project for the equipment of all its meetings rooms, whereas an additional 14 such rooms were equipped with technologies that make them fully operational in hybrid mode; appreciates that the Committee conducted all procurement procedures for high value contracts in a fully digitalised way, used the Qualified electronic signature for any type of contractual agreements and provided trainings to staff on the transition to the Public Procurement Management Tool system and the Funding and Tenders Portal in 2023;

48. Commends the Committee for its concrete actions to ensure its staff acquire the necessary digital skills in an increasingly digitalised workplace in 2023; notes in this context the activities, such as “mini-hackatons”, organised in the framework of a peer-to-peer network established with the CoR to foster better use and understanding of collaborative digital tools, as well as peer-to-peer coaching and experience exchanges; notes that the outcome of those activities was integrated into the Committee’s training offer;

49. Notes that in October 2023 guidelines for staff members on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) were adopted, that an information session was provided for all staff members, highlighting opportunities and challenges, and that further communication to staff members was provided through knowledge-based articles on the Committee’s intranet to raise awareness;

50. Notes that the work continued adopting and applying the NIST Cybersecurity Framework within both the Committee and the CoR in 2023, whereas the actions taken that year focused on some of that framework’s principles, i.e. protect and detect principles; notes that mitigation strategies are implemented using the “Essential Eight” Cybersecurity Framework; notes further that the Committee did not encounter any cyber-attacks in 2023, but it did encounter brief Denial of Service (DoS) attacks against the Committee’s externally hosted corporate websites at the end of 2022 and the start of 2024;

51. Urges the EESC to increase its cybersecurity budget to at least 10% of its total IT expenditures in line with EU cybersecurity directives, ensuring enhanced protection against cyber threats, especially for sensitive data related to policy and budgetary matters;

Buildings

52. Acknowledges receipt of the Committee’s report of 3 June 2024 informing the discharge authority about the Committee’s building policy, in compliance with Article 266(1) of the Union’s Financial Regulation; notes with satisfaction from that report that the Committee, with the CoR, achieved one of the major priorities of their 2017 Building Strategy, i.e. “geographical concentration of the buildings”; notes further that this achievement already brought savings due to the lower cost of renting the entire VMA compared to the three buildings previously rented; understands that those savings are approx. EUR 1,8 million, which,- according to that report, is equivalent to the rent paid for the B100 building; notes that the Committee is currently working on the update of its 2017 long-term building strategy, and that this work should be finished by the end of 2025; calls on the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed on the outcome of this exercise;

53. Welcomes the finalisation of renovations (i.e. fitting-out works) of the newly acquired VMA building, which included the installation of smart energy saving technologies; supports the Committee’s plan to carry out technical and environmental audits of all its buildings, whereas the outcome of those audits should allow for the identification of all technical installations and building components that need to be fully or partially renovated or kept as they are, thereby aligning with the European Green Deal objectives; invites the Committee to update the discharge authority on the outcome of those audits and their follow-up;

54. Notes that the task force on “new ways of working”, established in 2022, issued a first prospective report in 2023, focusing on the available office spaces and possible optimisation options; notes the Committee’s plan to continue that exercise with a participatory process with staff members to co-design the future workspaces; invites the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed on the progress made on this matter;

55. Welcomes the commitment of the Committee and the CoR to systematically apply the “design for all” principle to their infrastructure, ensuring accessibility of their building by design; notes that the two committees took a range of different measures to ensure accessibility of their buildings to people with various kinds of disabilities in 2023, including upon modernisation of its elevators in the JDE building;

Environment and sustainability

56. Welcomes the Committee’s green practices and commends the further reduction of gas, electricity and water consumption and carbon emissions and an increase in the recycling rate in connection with the Committee’s activities in 2023 compared to 2019; notes a slight deterioration, compared to 2019 levels, of the rate of waste volume, from -66 % in 2022 to -56 % in 2023 due to higher office presence;

57. Notes that the energy efficiencies and emissions reductions have been achieved through investments in innovative energy-efficient building installations, including through smart energy saving technologies installed in the VMA building, the purchase of 100 % green electricity, the introduction of (customised) environmental criteria in all tender procedures with value of EUR 60 000 or more, the use of paperless workflows and other measures such as reducing the operating hours for lighting, reducing the winter reference temperature in all buildings to 19 degrees or closing buildings in periods of low staff presence, among many other measures; notes that the reduction in the Committee’s energy consumption corresponds to a 3,4 % rate and a financial gain of EUR 65 395;

58. Notes from the Follow-up report that the smart energy saving technologies installed in the recently renovated VMA building contributed to a reduction in the Committee’s energy consumption (gas and electricity) of 20 % to 30 % in 2023; reiterates however its call on the Committee to provide the Parliament with an update on the return on investments of those technological installations;

59. Welcomes that the Committee adopted an energy-saving strategy, with short-, medium- and long-term measures; notes in this context that the Committee started an environmental audit of all its buildings in order to identify, among other, the level of the energy performance of the current structures and pieces of equipment, as well as estimate the environmental return of the necessary investments compared to the overall costs (maintenance, consumption etc.) over a 30-year period; notes further that studies on energy efficiency measures are planned for 2024 and 2025; calls on the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed on the progress made on those matters;

60. Recalls that in 2022, the electricity produced by Committee’s solar panels was 15,5 MWH or 0,25 % of the Committee’s yearly consumption, whereas in 2023 the same figure decreased to 5,75 MWh; notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire that the Committee is leading by example with regard to measures and actions taken in favour of sustainable mobility;

Interinstitutional cooperation

61. Commends the close cooperation established by the Committee with the CoR at administrative level, through the new cooperation agreement signed in 2022, whereby the two committees share premises and joint services in the areas of translation, infrastructure, logistics, security, procurement, financial management and IT, while maintaining full institutional autonomy; welcomes the positive development in 2023 when the two committee further agreed on the development and funding of a shared communication area with joint-audio visual facilities in the JDE building; asks the Committee to identify and inform the Parliament on the budgetary savings made during the first year of implementing that agreement in the audio-visual area; reiterates its call on the Committee to pursue and expand that cooperation in other areas with a view to avoiding duplication and further rationalising the operating costs of services available in the premises shared by the Committee and the CoR; invites the Committee and the CoR to explore the possibility of setting up a single administration for their joint services, keeping separate directorates or units for the services dealing with matters related to their specific and independent mandates; encourages the Committee and the CoR to continue their efforts to develop further cooperation and synergies;

62. Observes that budgetary savings and efficiency gains continued to be realised through active cooperation between the Committee and other Union institutions in 2023, including by organising the Committee’s plenary sessions on Commission and Parliament premises, where the venues and associated services are provided either free of charge or at rates below external market prices;

63. Notes with satisfaction that the Committee and Parliament re-negotiated in 2023 and signed in 2024 their inter-institutional agreement, whereas the agreement aims to provide more relevant and timely contributions throughout the legislative cycle and to reinforce bilateral cooperation; welcomes that the new Protocol of Cooperation of the Committee with the Commission, signed in 2022, already brought improvements to the Committee’s impact for example at pre-legislation phase through exploratory opinions; encourages the further reinforcement of political, legislative, and communication synergies between the Committee and Parliament, particularly in the context of the European Citizens’ Initiative and the European Semester;

64. Reiterates its appreciation for the outsourcing (Service level agreements) of specific services to the Commission in the handling of HR and the use of financial and HR management IT tools, as well as for the Committee’s participation in inter-institutional procurement procedures led by other institutions, whereby the Committee continued to benefit from synergies in the area of IT, corporate travel, insurance, transportation, translation and audio-visual equipment in 2023;

65. Notes the Committee’s role in reinforcing the links with and between the national economic and social councils (NESCs) of the Member States; notes from the Questionnaire the measures that the Committee has taken to reinforce the network of and the online community with the NESCs, such as the establishment of joint working groups and exchange programmes, working on collaborative IT platform, and participation in common events, among others; calls for continued cooperation on topics of common interest and the exchange of good practices, emphasisiziing the vital role of civil society in addressing the Union’s current challenges;

Communication

66. Notes that the Committee’s overall budget for communication in 2023 was EUR 2,15 million, an increase compared to EUR 1,5 million in 2022; notes that this budget was primarily allocated to the four flagship events organised in 2023 (European Citizens’ initiative, Your Europe, Your Say! The organic food awards and the 14th Civil Society Prize), the improvement and/or revamping of the Committee’s social media, external website and audio-visual production, as well as for media and press publications; commends the Committee for its communication activities delivering on this communication priorities for 2023, such as the Blue Deal initiative, COP28, the resolution on democracy, and the Committee’s 65th anniversary, among others;

67. Commends the Committee for its efforts in connection with its strategic communication in 2023; notes that the Committee adopted a new communication strategy aimed at strengthening its image and outreach; notes that, as part of that strategy, the Committee web-streamed its main events, mostly in all Union languages, introduced new communication tools such as the ‘Reporting from the plenary’ video series focused its communication resources on the Committee’s flagship events for 2023 and deployed special efforts to increase its outreach on social media;

68. Calls on the EESC to strengthen its monitoring and reporting on labour rights, social inclusion, and human rights violations within EU-funded programs, ensuring greater accountability in its advisory functions and policy recommendations;

69. Notes that the number of the social media followers on the Committee’s corporate platforms increased substantially by 25,000 in 2023; notes that by the end of 2023, the Committee reached 61 416 followers on X, which is an increase of 5 % compared to 2022, 61 761 followers on LinkedIn, which is an increase of 30 % compared to 2022, 46 868 followers on Facebook, which is an increase of 5.3 % compared to 2022 and 17 428 followers on Instagram, which is an increase of 45 % compared to 2022;

70. Welcomes the Committee’s positive approach towards the use of open-source solutions for its online communication; notes that in July 2023, the Committee opened its first account on the EU Voice Mastodon platform, a decentralised, free and open-source social media network that connects users in a privacy-oriented and advertising-free environment; observes throughout the second half of 2023, that the Committee actively communicated on the Mastodon account, feeding it every working day with posts on its activities and priorities and raising awareness about the Union; takes note of the Committee’s decision to discontinue its presence on that platform as of 2024.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Three ways Pope Francis influenced the global climate movement

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Celia Deane-Drummond, Professor of Theology, Director of Laudato Si’ Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford

The death of Pope Francis has been announced by the Vatican. I first met the late Pope Francis at the Vatican after a conference called Saving Our Common Home and the Future of Life on Earth in July 2018. My colleagues and I sensed something momentous was happening at the heart of the church.

At that time, I was helping to set up the new Laudato Si’ research institute at the Jesuit Hall at the University of Oxford. This institute is named after the pope’s 2015 encyclical (a letter to bishops outlining church policy) on climate change.

Its mission is rooted in the pope’s religiously inspired vision of integral ecology – a multidisciplinary approach that addresses social and ecological issues of equality and climate breakdown.

Originating from Argentina, Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, witnessed firsthand the destruction of the Amazon and the plight of South America’s poorest communities. His concern for justice for vulnerable communities and protection of the planet go hand in hand with his religious leadership.

In his first papal letter, Laudato Si’, he called for all people, not just Catholics, to pay more attention to the frailty of both our planet and its people. What we need is no less than a cultural revolution, he wrote. As a theologian, I recognise that he inspired significant change in three key ways.

1. At global climate summits

It’s no coincidence that Pope Francis released Laudato Si’ at a crucial moment in 2015 prior to the UN climate summit, Cop21, in Paris. A follow-up exhortation, or official statement, Laudate Deum, was released in October 2023, just before another UN climate summit, Cop28 in Dubai.

Did the decisions at these global meetings shift because of the influence of Pope Francis? Potentially, yes. In Laudate Deum, Pope Francis showed both encouragement and some frustration about the achievements of international agreements so far.

He berated the weakness of international politics and believes that Cop21 represented a “significant moment” because the agreement involved everyone.

After Cop21, he pointed out how most nations had failed to implement the Paris agreement which called for limiting the global temperature rise in this century to below 2°C. He also called out the lack of monitoring of those commitments and subsequent political inertia. He tried his best to use his prominent position to hold power to account.

Promoting a general moral awareness of the need to act in ecologically responsible ways, both in international politics and at the local level is something that previous popes, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI also did. But, Pope Francis’s efforts went beyond that, by connecting much more broadly with grassroots movements.

2. By advocating for Indigenous people

Cop28 marked the first time that close to 200 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. Pope Francis’s interventions potentially helped shift the needle just a little in the desired direction.

His emphasis on listening to Indigenous people may have influenced these gatherings. Compared with previous global climate summits, Cop28 arguably opened up the opportunity to listen to the voices of Indigenous people.

However, Indigenous people were still disappointed by the outcomes of Cop28. Pope Francis’s lesser-known exhortation Querida Amazonia, which means “beloved Amazonia”, was published in February 2020.

This exhortation resulted from his conversations with Amazonian communities and helped put Indigenous perspectives on the map. Those perspectives helped shape Catholic social teaching in the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, which means “all brothers and sisters”, published on October 3 2020.

For many people living in developing countries where extractive industries such as oil and gas or mining are rife, destruction of land coincides with direct threats to life. Pope Francis advocated for Indigenous environmental defenders, many of whom have been inspired to act by their strong faith.

For example, Father Marcelo Pérez, an Indigenous priest living in Mexico, was murdered by drug dealers just after saying mass on October 23 2023 as part of the cost of defending the rights of his people and their land.

While 196 environmental defenders were killed globally in 2023, Pope Francis continued to advocate on behalf of the most marginalised people as well as the environment.

3. By inspiring activism

I’ve been speaking to religious climate activists from different church backgrounds in the UK as part of a multidisciplinary research project on religion, theology and climate change based at the University of Manchester. Most notably, when we asked more than 300 activists representing six different activist groups who most influenced them to get involved in climate action, 61% named Pope Francis as a key influencer.

On a larger scale, Laudato Si’ gave rise to the Laudato Si’ movement which coordinates climate activism across the globe. It has 900 Catholic organisations as well as 10,000 of what are known as Laudato Si’ “animators”, who are all ambassadors and leaders in their respective communities.

Our institute’s ecclesial affiliate, Tomás Insua, based in Assisi, Italy, originally helped pioneer this global Laudato Si’ movement. We host a number of ecumenical gatherings which bring together people from different denominations and hopefully motivate churchgoers to think and act in a more climate-conscious way.

Nobody knows who the next pope might be. Given the current turmoil in politics and shutting down of political will to address the climate emergency, we can only hope they will build on the legacy of Pope Francis and influence political change for the good, from the grassroots frontline right up to the highest global ambitions.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Celia Deane-Drummond does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Three ways Pope Francis influenced the global climate movement – https://theconversation.com/three-ways-pope-francis-influenced-the-global-climate-movement-251430

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Clean Power for Growth roundtable, April 2025: UK-Italy bilateral statement
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

Press release

Clean Power for Growth roundtable, April 2025: UK-Italy bilateral statement

The Clean Power for Growth roundtable took place at the Mattatoio in Rome on 9 April 2025.
The Rt Hon. David Lammy, UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and the Italian Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, co-chaired a roundtable in Rome today focused on clean power for growth, in the presence of His Majesty The King and the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.

Today, in the presence of His Majesty The King and of the President of the Italian Republic, we discussed the efforts of Italy and the UK to drive forward work on clean power for growth. We reiterated the commitments made in the Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Cooperation signed by the UK and Italy in April 2023, and the Joint Statement between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni in September 2024. We emphasised the importance for affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, in supporting sustainable inclusive growth and development.

Energy security, accessibility, sustainability and affordability is important now and for future generations. We must embrace the opportunities we have to diversify energy systems, with all the benefits they bring. We recognise the important progress that Italy led during its G7 Presidency and through its Mattei Plan for Africa, and the UK’s new Global Clean Power Alliance. We will continue to promote this approach globally and through the International Energy Agency Summit on the Future of Energy Security in London.

We underline our commitment, in the context of a global effort, to accelerate the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050 at the latest, reaching Paris Agreement goals and COP28 Global Stocktake outcomes. We recognise that in a complex and changing geopolitical context, energy security, affordability and independence have become a priority. In this scenario, we underline that energy security is strongly linked to the energy transition and reiterate the need to take advantage of all decarbonisation solutions and technologies, while recognising different national pathways. We will work together to accelerate all opportunities offered by the transition to clean energy, including stimulating economic growth, unlocking new innovations, maximising clean alternatives and nature-based solutions, and creating new skills and jobs, to establish energy systems that are more resilient. This provides the most effective route to ensuring energy security and energy affordability, whilst also delivering long-term prosperity. We will demonstrate clean power leadership through the G7, G20, UN General Assembly, COP30 and beyond.

We are committed to working together on the challenges now and in the future around clean energy supply chain resilience and to promoting just, secure, sustainable and inclusive energy transitions. Both the UK and Italy are pushing economic growth opportunities through our vibrant clean energy industrial bases, recognising that new partnerships on clean power supply chains will be essential in supporting this. This is why Italy and the UK will work together on this agenda. We also recognise the need to support Africa’s ambitions and efforts to develop adequate clean energy infrastructure and supply chains, in a spirit of equitable and strategic partnerships. We welcome the partnerships forged between UK and Italian energy companies. We are committed to deepening these further.

Read more: Clean Power for Growth roundtable: Chair’s summary.

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Updates to this page

Published 9 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 10, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Sufficient Uranium Resources Exist, However Investments Needed to Sustain High Nuclear Energy Growth

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Sufficient uranium resources exist to support both the continued use of nuclear power and its significant growth through 2050 and beyond. However, timely investments in new exploration, mining operations and processing techniques will be essential to ensure that uranium becomes available to the market when needed.

These are among the main findings of the latest edition of Uranium – Resources, Production and Demand 2024, commonly known as the “Red Book”, an essential global reference prepared jointly every two years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The 2024 edition of the Red Book provides the latest comprehensive review of uranium market fundamentals, based on official government data, and delivers a detailed statistical profile of the global uranium industry. Covering the calendar years 2021 and 2022, it features data on uranium exploration, resources, and production . The report also includes 62 country profiles, offering in-depth insights into mine development plans, the environmental and social dimensions of uranium mining, and national regulations and policies.

The Red Book indicates that global identified recoverable uranium resources amounted to 7 934 500 tonnes as of 1 January 2023. These represent all reasonably assured and inferred uranium resources that could be recovered at market prices ranging from $40 to $260 USD/KgU (equivalent to $15 to $100 USD/lb U₃O₈). Compared to the total reported in the 2022 edition, this represents an increase of less than 0.5%. Additions to the uranium resource base could however arise from undiscovered or unconventional sources, driven by the sharp rise in uranium spot prices since mid-2021 and the commitment first announced during COP28 and now signed by 31 countries to triple their nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

Worldwide domestic exploration and mine development expenditures have increased dramatically after a period of decline due to poor market conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Annual expenditures reached USD 800 million in 2022 and preliminary data for 2023 suggest a further increase to USD 840 million.

The Red Book also provides projections for nuclear power installed capacity and uranium requirements through 2050, outlining both low-growth and high-growth scenarios, alongside an assessment of uranium supply and demand adequacy under each scenario. According to these projections, the uranium resource base is sufficient to meet the needs of a high-growth nuclear capacity through 2050 and beyond. However, this will require essential investments in new exploration, improved processing techniques and new production centres to replenish reserves.

Production increased 4% between 2020 and 2022 and the report suggests the increase will likely continue in coming years. The establishment of new production centres is anticipated to encounter significant lead times due to today’s risk-averse investment climate, and complex and lengthy regulatory processes in many uranium mining jurisdictions. Geopolitical challenges and technical difficulties related to developing new mines and milling facilities may further compound the situation. As a result, efforts must begin immediately to ensure adequate uranium supplies are available in the medium term.

Notes to editors

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is an intergovernmental agency which operates within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It facilitates co-operation among countries with advanced nuclear technology infrastructures to seek excellence in nuclear safety, technology, science, related environmental and economic matters and law.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Joint NEA/IAEA Group on Uranium (UG) contributes to the preparation of each edition of Uranium – Resources, Production and Demand. The Group also co-ordinates the preparation of periodic assessments of the world’s supply of natural uranium, examines the relationship of these supplies to demand projections and recommends actions that might be taken to ensure adequate long-term supply of uranium for nuclear power development.

MIL Security OSI –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How storytelling, creativity and collaborations can inspire climate action

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cecilia Manosa Nyblon, Director – We Are the Possible Programme, University of Exeter

Imagine heading into space, landing on the moon and walking in the dust. As you adjust to the weightlessness, you see something unexpected on the horizon. You’re looking back at the Earth, experiencing the “overview effect”. How would you feel? What would you see, hear, touch, taste and smell?

We asked these questions when we launched a creative writing workshop to harness the beauty and power of storytelling, education, theatre, and music to inspire a greener, healthier and fairer world for future generations.

One of us, Cecilia Mañosa Nyblon, brought together a team from the University of Exeter, the Met Office and international experts including marine scientists, poets, soundscape artists, musicians, playwrights and children’s authors who recognise the power of the arts to bridge the gap between science and society.

In 2021, our team launched We Are the Possible. This international award-winning programme brings together artists, scientists, educators and health professionals to connect hearts and minds. Together, we develop creative content and performances that are presented to policymakers and the public at annual UN climate summits and other public events.

As Kathleen Jamie, Scotland’s makar (national poet), said during the 2021 UN climate summit in Glasgow: “We can’t have that massive event around nature and environment without a poetry presence there.”

Since 2021, this programme has engaged more than 16,000 people in the UK, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan. Our projects have reached more than 33 million people worldwide through mainstream media, social media and online platforms. By inspiring global and local audiences, we hope to mobilise communities to care for and protect our planet.

“We Are the Possible” collaborated with artists, scientists, educators, musicians and schoolchildren to perform at Cop28, the UN climate summit, in Dubai in 2023.

The project’s creative lead, Sally Flint, weaves the words of climate scientists, health professionals, storytellers, artists, youth, educators and translators into an anthology of 12 poems or stories for the 12 days of each UN climate summit, showing what people value most and what’s at stake in our changing planet.

In our anthology for Cop28 (the 2023 climate summit in Dubai), Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who spent years negotiating for climate action at the UN summits, shared that “while this remains vital, I have also realised that connecting with people from the heart and with love is the most powerful place to start.”

Scientists have the data. We have the technological solutions. But governments and leaders are failing to act with urgency. The climate crisis is our biggest communication failure.

Culture has the power to help people imagine and inspire action through dialogue, images, storytelling and shared experiences. But for far too long, the arts, cultural heritage and creative industries have been absent in climate policy frameworks. In 2024, ministers of culture and education gathered in Abu Dhabi to establish a framework which recognises the transformative power and impact of culture and arts education [for sustainable development]https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2024/02/WCCAE_UNESCO%20Framework_EN_0.pdf).

Since Cop28, our team has been working with our partner, a not-for-profit called the Emirates Literature Foundation, to involve Indigenous poets through visual artforms. This involvement shines a light on the importance of Indigenous knowledge in our climate conversations to heal and restore our planet.

We have also collaborated with a sustainable theatre company called The Theatre of Others to deliver The Earth Turns and Bright Light Burning. These immersive theatre performances (inspired by We Are the Possible anthologies) and panel discussions involve both policymakers and the public. After one of the performances, Jonathan Dewsbury, director of capital operations and net zero at the UK government’s Department for Education, told us: “If we don’t grab the arts, the poems, the music and embed them into our top policy thinkers, our top decision-makers, we are not going to make the right choices, the right solutions.”

Carpet weaving is an important part of Azerbaijan’s cultural identity. At Cop29 (the 2024 UN climate summit in Azerbaijan), one group of academics and students at Khazar University in Baku wove a traditional “Chelebi” carpet. This conveyed a message of unity and environmental stewardship through symbolic patterns inspired by We Are the Possible’s anthology.

Ocean-literate cultures

Around 50% of countries have no mention of climate change in their school curriculum, according to Unesco. Most teachers (95%) feel that teaching about climate climate change is important but less than 30% say are ready to teach it. Meanwhile, 75% young people around the world say they are frightened about their future.

Schools Across the Ocean, the education strand of We Are the Possible, is addressing this climate education gap. Led by our colleague, senior lecturer in education Anita Wood, this initiative has already connected more than 2,000 schoolchildren (aged 8-13) and more than 100 teachers in the UK, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and other countries.

Inspiring children to put their words and artwork of hope about the ocean.

This six-week programme involves providing a toolkit for teachers plus activities and online workshops that engage children in science, art, storytelling and action for the ocean. The goal is for more children to understand why we all need a healthy ocean, develop their sense of agency and inspire others in their local communities to take action too.

Wendy Wilson, headteacher St Anne’s School in Alderney on the Channel Islands, found that Schools Across the Ocean meant that her students were not just learning about climate change. She said they were also “becoming active, global citizens who are climate literate, empowered and full of hope.”

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

We Are the Possible programme has been funded by the University of Exeter, Met Office, British Council, British Embassy Gulf Strategy Fund, British Embassy Azerbaijan, UKRI, AHRC, Knowledge E Foundation,Arts Council England and supported by Emirates Literature Foundation, American University in Cairo, Khorfakkan University, Khazar University, BIMM University, Extreme Hangout, Banlastic, Ocean Generation, Tahrir Cultural Centre, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Cygnet Theatre, among others.

We Are the Possible programme has been funded by the University of Exeter, Met Office, British Council, British Embassy Gulf Strategy Fund, British Embassy Azerbaijan, UKRI, AHRC, Knowledge E Foundation, Arts Council England and supported by Emirates Literature Foundation, American University in Cairo, Khorfakkan University, Khazar University, BIMM University, Extreme Hangout, Banlastic, Ocean Generation, Tahrir Cultural Centre, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Cygnet Theatre, among others.

– ref. How storytelling, creativity and collaborations can inspire climate action – https://theconversation.com/how-storytelling-creativity-and-collaborations-can-inspire-climate-action-252256

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Sufficient uranium resources exist, however investments needed to susta in high nuclear energy growth

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Sufficient uranium resources exist to support both the continued use of nuclear power and its significant growth through 2050 and beyond. However, timely investments in new exploration, mining operations and processing techniques will be essential to ensure that uranium becomes available to the market when needed.

These are among the main findings of the latest edition of Uranium – Resources, Production and Demand 2024, commonly known as the “Red Book”, an essential global reference prepared jointly every two years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The 2024 edition of the Red Book provides the latest comprehensive review of uranium market fundamentals, based on official government data, and delivers a detailed statistical profile of the global uranium industry. Covering the calendar years 2021 and 2022, it features data on uranium exploration, resources, and production . The report also includes 62 country profiles, offering in-depth insights into mine development plans, the environmental and social dimensions of uranium mining, and national regulations and policies.

The Red Book indicates that global identified recoverable uranium resources amounted to 7 934 500 tonnes as of 1 January 2023. These represent all reasonably assured and inferred uranium resources that could be recovered at market prices ranging from $40 to $260 USD/KgU (equivalent to $15 to $100 USD/lb U₃O₈). Compared to the total reported in the 2022 edition, this represents an increase of less than 0.5%. Additions to the uranium resource base could however arise from undiscovered or unconventional sources, driven by the sharp rise in uranium spot prices since mid-2021 and the commitment first announced during COP28 and now signed by 31 countries to triple their nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

Worldwide domestic exploration and mine development expenditures have increased dramatically after a period of decline due to poor market conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Annual expenditures reached USD 800 million in 2022 and preliminary data for 2023 suggest a further increase to USD 840 million.

The Red Book also provides projections for nuclear power installed capacity and uranium requirements through 2050, outlining both low-growth and high-growth scenarios, alongside an assessment of uranium supply and demand adequacy under each scenario. According to these projections, the uranium resource base is sufficient to meet the needs of a high-growth nuclear capacity through 2050 and beyond. However, this will require essential investments in new exploration, improved processing techniques and new production centres to replenish reserves.

Production increased 4% between 2020 and 2022 and the report suggests the increase will likely continue in coming years. The establishment of new production centres is anticipated to encounter significant lead times due to today’s risk-averse investment climate, and complex and lengthy regulatory processes in many uranium mining jurisdictions. Geopolitical challenges and technical difficulties related to developing new mines and milling facilities may further compound the situation. As a result, efforts must begin immediately to ensure adequate uranium supplies are available in the medium term.

Notes to editors

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is an intergovernmental agency which operates within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It facilitates co-operation among countries with advanced nuclear technology infrastructures to seek excellence in nuclear safety, technology, science, related environmental and economic matters and law.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Joint NEA/IAEA Group on Uranium (UG) contributes to the preparationof each edition of Uranium – Resources, Production and Demand. The Group also co-ordinates the preparation of periodic assessments of the world’s supply of natural uranium, examines the relationship of these supplies to demand projections and recommends actions that might be taken to ensure adequate long-term supply of uranium for nuclear power development.

MIL Security OSI –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: ‘Doom loops’ are accelerating climate change – but we can break them

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

Surasak Jailak/Shutterstock

Vicious cycles are accelerating climate change. One is happening at the north pole, where rising temperatures caused by record levels of fossil fuel combustion are melting more and more sea ice.

Indeed, the extent of Arctic winter sea ice in March 2025 was the lowest ever recorded. This decline in sea ice means the Earth reflects less of the Sun’s energy back into space. So, more climate change leads to less sea ice – and more climate change.

Human behaviour is not immune to this dynamic either, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). It identified another troubling feedback loop: demand for coal rose 1% globally in 2024 off the back of intense heatwaves in China and India, which spurred a frenzy for air-conditioners and excess fuel to power them.

The need to cool ourselves, and briefly escape the consequences of climate change, is driving more climate change. Thankfully, there are ways to break these cycles and form greener habits. Today, we’ll look at one in particular.

This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

The Sun can cool you down

“As the climate crisis deepens, close to half of the world’s people have little defence against deadly heat,” says Radhika Khosla, an associate professor of urban sustainability at the University of Oxford.

Read more:
COP28: countries have pledged to cut emissions from cooling – here’s how to make it happen

“At the same time, energy demand from cooling – by those who can afford it – could more than double by 2050.”

If wealthy countries paid the enormous climate finance debt they owe the developing world, it could help finance the closing of this gap. And thankfully, advancements in renewable energy technology mean no one should need to contribute to a spike in fossil fuel use just to keep cool.

Read more:
Wealthy nations owe climate debt to Africa – funds that could help cities grow

“The absurdity of resorting to coal to power air conditioners … is difficult to miss”, say a team of engineers and energy experts at Nottingham Trent University and Coventry University, led by Tom Rogers. They recommend rooftop solar panels instead, which can soak up sunshine during heatwaves and turn it into electricity for air-conditioning units.

“Rooftop solar can also reduce demand for cooling by keeping buildings in the shade,” the team say. “A study conducted by Arizona State University found that even a modest group of solar panels that shade about half a roof can lead to anything from 2% to 13% reduction in cooling demand, depending on factors such as location, roof type and insulation levels.”

Read more:
Rising temperatures mean more air conditioning which means more electricity is needed – rooftop solar is a perfect fit

Of course, solar panels are less helpful for powering air conditioners in the evening, when lots of people turn them on after work or school.

“Researchers in Australia have proposed a clever solution to address this imbalance, by programming air-conditioning units to work in tandem with solar systems to pre-cool buildings before people arrive home,” Rogers and his colleagues add.

There is huge untapped potential for generating electricity from rooftop solar – even in the dreary UK. It could ensure that future heatwaves are a boon for solar energy, not coal power.

“Consider the possibilities for Nottingham and Coventry, two cities in England’s Midlands where we work,” they say.

“If Nottingham were to maximise its rooftop potential, all those panels could generate nearly 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity, about the same as a medium-sized gas power plant. Coventry has greater potential, with 700MW.

“These capacities would equate to nearly one-third of Nottingham’s electricity demand and almost half of Coventry’s – from their rooftops alone.”

Doom loops

Installing solar panels on top of buildings worldwide will need massive investment in equipment and training. It will require new means of incentivising the uptake of this technology and, as mentioned earlier, the redistribution of wealth to allow low-emitting but highly vulnerable nations to make the switch.

But there are likely to be virtuous cycles as well as vicious ones. Once a certain threshold has been crossed, like the price and capacity of batteries or the number of homes with heat pumps installed, “a domino effect of rapid changes” takes effect such that green alternatives swiftly become the established norm.

Read more:
Climate ‘tipping points’ can be positive too – our report sets out how to engineer a domino effect of rapid changes

However, the prospect of harmonising these efforts across borders butts against a trend moving in the opposite direction. As the world warms, relations between nations are becoming more fraught and war, trade tensions and internal strife are obscuring the universal threat of climate change.

A Trump yard sign during the 2024 election campaign.
Dlbillings_Photography/Shutterstock

Climate risk expert Laurie Laybourn and earth system scientist James Dyke, both at the University of Exeter, say that extreme weather in 2022 caused crop failures that made food more expensive and stoked headline inflation rates. Climate-sceptic Donald Trump made hay with these high prices in the 2024 US election.

“The risk is that this ‘doom loop’ runs faster and faster and ultimately derails our ability to phase out fossil fuels fast enough to avoid the worst climate consequences,” they say.

Read more:
A ‘doom loop’ of climate change and geopolitical instability is beginning

However, Laybourn and Dyke are not wholly pessimistic. History shows that periods of instability and crisis like the one we are living through also provide fertile ground for positive change, they argue, and the chance to accelerate virtuous circles.

“For example, out of the crises of the interwar period and the devastation of the second world war came legal protections for human rights, universal welfare systems and decolonisation.”

– ref. ‘Doom loops’ are accelerating climate change – but we can break them – https://theconversation.com/doom-loops-are-accelerating-climate-change-but-we-can-break-them-253457

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 4, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: ‘We’re not just welcoming you as allies, but as family’ – Rainbow Warrior in Marshall Islands 40 years on

The first of a two-part series on the historic Rongelap evacuation of 300 Marshall islanders from their irradiated atoll with the help of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior crew and the return of Rainbow Warrior III 40 years later on a nuclear justice research mission.

SPECIAL REPORT: By Shiva Gounden in Majuro

Family isn’t just about blood—it’s about standing together through the toughest of times.

This is the relationship between Greenpeace and the Marshall Islands — a vast ocean nation, stretching across nearly two million square kilometers of the Pacific. Beneath the waves, coral reefs are bustling with life, while coconut trees stand tall.

For centuries, the Marshallese people have thrived here, mastering the waves, reading the winds, and navigating the open sea with their canoe-building knowledge passed down through generations. Life here is shaped by the rhythm of the tides, the taste of fresh coconut and roasted breadfruit, and an unbreakable bond between people and the sea.

From the bustling heart of its capital, Majuro to the quiet, far-reaching atolls, their islands are not just land; they are home, history, and identity.

Still, Marshallese communities were forced into one of the most devastating chapters of modern history — turned into a nuclear testing ground by the United States without consent, and their lives and lands poisoned by radiation.

Operation Exodus: A legacy of solidarity
Between 1946 and 1958, the US conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands — its total yield roughly equal to one Hiroshima-sized bomb every day for 12 years.

During this Cold War period, the US government planned to conduct its largest nuclear test ever. On the island of Bikini, United States Commodore Ben H. Wyatt manipulated the 167 Marshallese people who called Bikini home asking them to leave so that the US could carry out atomic bomb testing, stating that it was for “the good of mankind and to end all world wars”.

Exploiting their deep faith, he misled Bikinians into believing they were acting in God’s will, and trusting this, they agreed to move—never knowing the true cost of their decision

Bikini Islanders board a landing craft vehicle personnel (LCVP) as they depart from Bikini Atoll in March 1946. Image: © United States Navy

On March 1, 1954, the Castle Bravo test was launched — its yield 1000 times stronger than Hiroshima. Radioactive fallout spread across Rongelap Island about 150 kilometers away, due to what the US government claimed was a “shift in wind direction”.

In reality, the US ignored weather reports that indicated the wind would carry the fallout eastward towards Rongelap and Utirik Atolls, exposing the islands to radioactive contamination. Children played in what they thought was snow, and almost immediately the impacts of radiation began — skin burning, hair fallout, vomiting.

The Rongelap people were immediately relocated, and just three years later were told by the US government their island was deemed safe and asked to return.

For the next 28 years, the Rongelap people lived through a period of intense “gaslighting” by the US government. *

Nuclear weapon test Castle Bravo (yield 15 Mt) on Bikini Atoll, 1 March 1954. © United States Department of Energy

Forced to live on contaminated land, with women enduring miscarriages and cancer rates increasing, in 1985, the people of Rongelap made the difficult decision to leave their homeland. Despite repeated requests to the US government to help evacuate, an SOS was sent, and Greenpeace responded: the Rainbow Warrior arrived in Rongelap, helping to move communities to Mejatto Island.

This was the last journey of the first Rainbow Warrior. The powerful images of their evacuation were captured by photographer Fernando Pereira, who, just months later, was killed in the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior as it sailed to protest nuclear testing in the Pacific.

Evacuation of Rongelap Islanders to Mejatto by the Rainbow Warrior crew in the Pacific 1985. Rongelap suffered nuclear fallout from US nuclear tests done from 1946-1958, making it a hazardous place to live. Image: © Greenpeace/Fernando Pereira

From nuclear to climate: The injustice repeats
The fight for justice did not end with the nuclear tests—the same forces that perpetuated nuclear colonialism continue to endanger the Marshall Islands today with new threats: climate change and deep-sea mining.

The Marshall Islands, a nation of over 1,000 islands, is particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. Entire communities could disappear within a generation due to rising sea levels. Additionally, greedy international corporations are pushing to mine the deep sea of the Pacific Ocean for profit. Deep sea mining threatens fragile marine ecosystems and could destroy Pacific ways of life, livelihoods and fish populations. The ocean connects us all, and a threat anywhere in the Pacific is a threat to the world.

Marshallese activists with traditional outriggers on the coast of the nation’s capital Majuro to demand that leaders of developed nations dramatically upscale their plans to limit global warming during the online meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum in 2018. Image: © Martin Romain/Greenpeace

But if there could be one symbol to encapsulate past nuclear injustices and current climate harms it would be the Runit Dome. This concrete structure was built by the US to contain radioactive waste from years of nuclear tests, but climate change now poses a direct threat.

Rising sea levels and increasing storm surges are eroding the dome’s integrity, raising fears of radioactive material leaking into the ocean, potentially causing a nuclear disaster.

Aerial view of Runit Dome, Runit Island, Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands . . . symbolic of past nuclear injustices and current climate harms in the Pacific. Image: © US Defense Special Weapons Agency

Science, storytelling, and resistance: The Rainbow Warrior’s epic mission and 40 year celebration

At the invitation of the Marshallese community and government, the Rainbow Warrior is in the Pacific nation to celebrate 40 years since 1985’s Operation Exodus, and stand in support of their ongoing fight for nuclear justice, climate action, and self-determination.

This journey brings together science, storytelling, and activism to support the Marshallese movement for justice and recognition. Independent radiation experts and Greenpeace scientists will conduct crucial research across the atolls, providing much-needed data on remaining nuclear contamination.

For decades, research on radiation levels has been controlled by the same government that conducted the nuclear tests, leaving many unanswered questions. This independent study will help support the Marshallese people in their ongoing legal battles for recognition, reparations, and justice.

Marshallese women greet the Rainbow Warrior as it arrives in the capital Majuro earlier this month. Image: © Bianca Vitale/Greenpeace

The path of the ship tour: A journey led by the Marshallese
From March to April, the Rainbow Warrior is sailing across the Marshall Islands, stopping in Majuro, Mejatto, Enewetak, Bikini, Rongelap, and Wotje. Like visiting old family, each of these locations carries a story — of nuclear fallout, forced displacement, resistance, and hope for a just future.

But just like old family, there’s something new to learn. At every stop, local leaders, activists, and a younger generation are shaping the narrative.

Their testimonies are the foundation of this journey, ensuring the world cannot turn away. Their stories of displacement, resilience, and hope will be shared far beyond the Pacific, calling for justice on a global scale.

Bunny McDiarmid and Henk Haazen greet locals at the welcoming ceremony in Majuro, Marshall Islands, earlier this month. Bunny and Henk were part of the Greenpeace crew in 1985 to help evacuate the people of Rongelap. Image: © Bianca Vitale/Greenpeace

A defining moment for climate justice
The Marshallese are not just survivors of past injustices; they are champions of a just future. Their leadership reminds us that those most affected by climate change are not only calling for action — they are showing the way forward. They are leaders of finding solutions to avert these crises.

Local Marshallese women’s group dance and perform cultural songs at the Rainbow Warrior welcome ceremony in Majuro, Marshall islands, earlier this month. Image: © Bianca Vitale/Greenpeace

Since they have joined the global fight for climate justice, their leadership in the climate battle has been evident.

In 2011, they established a shark sanctuary to protect vital marine life.

In 2024, they created their first ocean sanctuary, expanding efforts to conserve critical ecosystems. The Marshall Islands is also on the verge of signing the High Seas Treaty, showing their commitment to global marine conservation, and has taken a firm stance against deep-sea mining.

They are not only protecting their lands but are also at the forefront of the global fight for climate justice, pushing for reparations, recognition, and climate action.

This voyage is a message: the world must listen, and it must act. The Marshallese people are standing their ground, and we stand in solidarity with them — just like family.

Learn their story. Support their call for justice. Amplify their voices. Because when those on the frontlines lead, justice is within reach.

Shiva Gounden is the head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific. This article series is republished with the permission of Greenpeace.

* This refers to the period from 1957 — when the US Atomic Energy Commission declared Rongelap Atoll safe for habitation despite known contamination — to 1985, when Greenpeace assisted the Rongelap community in relocating due to ongoing radiation concerns. The Compact of Free Association, signed in 1986, finally started acknowledging damages caused by nuclear testing to the populations of Rongelap.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Climate change isn’t fair but Tony Juniper’s new book explains how a green transition could be ‘just’

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alix Dietzel, Senior Lecturer in Climate Justice, University of Bristol

Tony Juniper. Jason Bye, CC BY-NC-ND

Inequality – between the rich and poor or between the powerful and the weak – is the main factor stalling action on environmental problems including biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change, according to British environmentalist Tony Juniper.

In his new book, Just Earth: How a Fairer World Will Save the Planet, he argues that “if we want to build a secure future, both environmental priorities and social justice must be pursued together”. Much of this is about how decisions are made: “Disadvantaged groups rarely have a say, while those deciding on policy continue to comprise a narrow social segment.”

It is interesting to see Juniper’s views on the topic of a just transition, given his decades of experience. Juniper has served as the executive director of environmental charity Friends of the Earth, he was a Green party parliamentary candidate in the 2011 general election and previously led The Wildlife Trusts. He is currently chair of Natural England, the official government organisation working for the conservation and restoration of the natural environment.

His views on this subject certainly matter. His key message that social justice is at the heart of solving environmental problems helps to explain why we have collectively failed to address these.

This injustice is an issue that has been raised for decades by those most affected by environmental issues, those who work in the environment sector and academics like me who focus on environmental justice.

The UK environment sector, for example, is notoriously one of the least diverse, with only 3.5% of those working in environmental jobs identifying as an ethnic minority. In addition, the climate change movement is sometimes portrayed by the media as a middle-class preoccupation. Research shows a tendency for mainstream media to position environmentalism as a position of the wealthy. That’s reflected by the use of distancing terminology such as “middle-class tree huggers”.

However, 39% of UK working class voters experience climate anxiety. That’s only slightly below the 42% of middle-class voters.

Levels of climate concern have stayed high throughout both the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crises, while support for government action on climate mitigation policies, such as decreased meat consumption and flying, has remained steady.

At the global level, there have always been tensions between developed and developing countries in terms of what is “fair”. Entrenched power dynamics ensure that developed countries have historically won out when deciding what a fair future looks like.

Most recently, those tensions have been evident in the lack of clarity around how loss and damage will be funded and managed – who will pay out when an island disappears, or a village becomes inhabitable to due drought, for example? There’s also much debate around how a new finance goal should be defined, with huge disagreements between the developed and developing countries.

As Juniper explains, not only is it unclear what fairness means at global negotiations, there is clear evidence that these tend to favour the more powerful countries, such as the US or members of the EU, and create an unjust regime. Steven Vanderheiden, one of the earliest climate justice philosophers, claims that developing nations are usually offered a “take it or leave it” deal, such as the new finance goal of US$300 billion (£232 billion) or about half of what developing countries were asking for, once developed nations have made decisions without them.

A fairer vision

In response to these inequalities and ongoing tensions, Juniper sets out a vision for a fairer, greener society – also known as a just transition.

A just transition is hard to define. It was once a relatively well demarcated and clearly grounded concept associated with worker’s rights.

Over time, it has become an increasingly all-encompassing policy objective, untethered from any specific policies, political objectives or priorities. Indeed, while there are certainly overlaps between the different visions of a just transition, significant aspects directly contradict one another.

Just Earth by Tony Juniper is out now.
CC BY-NC-ND

Many of the messages in Juniper’s book have been shouted by those less privileged for decades. By using his platform to amplify the importance of climate justice, he is striving to make a difference. However, the voices of those from affected communities in developing countries, the working class in richer countries, and women (who will be hardest hit by climate change) are somewhat absent.

Juniper neatly encompasses 40-plus years of global negotiations on climate change and biodiversity, reflecting on core issues blocking progress, such as populism and fossil fuel interests. Getting your head around negotiations is a complex task – and it’s one that Juniper executes very well.

Juniper also discusses rising inequality, especially post-COVID, and the intersecting relationship between affluence and environmental destruction, with the richest consuming far more than the poorest and the top 10% wealthiest individuals having emitting more greenhouse gases than the poorest 50%.

He sets out the impacts of consumption, particularly of the wealthiest, and the unfairness of those being hit hardest consuming the least. He carefully dissects why indefinite growth of GDP can no longer be taken as a given.

Then he sets out his vision for a just transition with a ten-point agenda, including new measures of progress. He suggests focusing on wellbeing and sustainable consumption, not GDP.

He highlights the importance of financing the future and raising the transition war chest – that involves carbon tax regimes and additional public resources for environmental protection to build climate resilience. He advises switching subsidies to green energy rather than fossil fuels, and also advocates for the use of ecocide law to protect future generations.

While progress is possible, Juniper is a realist. He outlines how much our culture needs to shift away from consumption, competition, devaluing nature, and towards a fairer society for all. As he puts it: “We have nowhere else to go. There is just Earth.”

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Alix Dietzel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Climate change isn’t fair but Tony Juniper’s new book explains how a green transition could be ‘just’ – https://theconversation.com/climate-change-isnt-fair-but-tony-junipers-new-book-explains-how-a-green-transition-could-be-just-250671

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s remarks to the Virtual High-Level Segment of the 16th Petersberg Climate Dialogue [as delivered]

Source: United Nations – English

hank you for this opportunity — and for your focus today on collective climate action and acceleration of implementation.

This could not be more timely.

There is much uncertainty and instability in our world.

But today we meet in the wake of some good news.

Just this morning, the International Renewable Energy Agency officially confirmed that 2024 was a record year for renewables additions to global power capacity.

Renewables represented more than 92 per cent of all new electricity generation capacity installed last year.

The amount of renewables added represents more than the total electricity capacity of Brazil and Japan combined.

Europe’s capacity grew by 9 per cent – with Germany contributing more than one-quarter of that growth. Africa’s capacity grew by almost 7 per cent.

All of this is another reminder of a 21st century truth:

Renewables are renewing economies.

They are powering growth, creating jobs, lowering energy bills, and cleaning our air.

And every day, they become an even smarter investment.

Since 2010, the average cost of wind power has plunged 60%. Solar is 90% cheaper.

In 2023, clean energy sectors accounted for five per cent of economic growth in India and six in the US. It accounted for a fifth of China’s GDP growth, and a third of the EU’s.

The economic case for – and opportunities of – climate action have become ever clearer – particularly for those who choose to lead.

And leadership is what we need – as today’s IRENA report shows:

To accelerate the shift to renewables…

And to correct the imbalances in the transition, which is still starving developing countries – outside China – of the investment needed to fully embrace clean energy.

Excellencies, dear friends,

As the title of this session puts it so well: we are indeed at a turning point to the future.

In the ten years since Paris, we have seen other important progress.

Ninety percent of global emissions are now covered by net-zero targets.

A decade ago, the planet was on course for a global temperature rise of over four degrees Celsius.

Today, countries’ national climate plans – or NDCs – if fully delivered – will take us closer to a 2.6-degree rise.

At the same time, climate challenges are piling up.

It seems records are shattered at every turn — the hottest day of the hottest month of the hottest year of the hottest decade ever.

All of this is hitting the vulnerable hardest, and everyday people in their pockets – with higher living costs, higher insurance premiums, and higher food prices.

Just last week, the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that 2024 was another alarming year:

Almost every climate indicator reached new and increasingly dangerous heights – inflaming displacement and food insecurity and inflicting huge economic losses.

And, for the first time, the annual global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times.

Scientists are clear – it is still possible to meet the long-term 1.5 degree limit.

But it requires urgent action. And it requires leadership.

Excellencies, dear friends,

I see two critical fronts to drive action.

First, new national climate plans – or NDCs – due by September.

Investors need certainty and predictability.

These new plans are a unique opportunity to deliver – and lay out a coherent vision for a just green transition.

They must align with the 1.5-degree limit, as agreed at COP28. And cover all emissions and the whole economy.

Together, they must reduce global emissions 60% by 2035 – compared to 2019…

And contribute to the COP28 global energy transition goals.

All this must be achieved in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of national circumstances but everybody, everybody must do more.

The G20 – the largest emitters and economies – must lead.

Every country must step up and play their part.

The United Nations is with you all.

President Lula and I are working to secure the highest ambition from the largest economies.

The United Nations Climate Promise is supporting a hundred countries to prepare their new climate plans.

And we will convene a special event in September to take stock of the plans of all countries, push for action to keep 1.5 within reach, and deliver climate justice.

Second, we must drive finance to developing countries.

The COP29 finance agreement must be implemented in full.

I count on the leadership of the COP29 and COP30 Presidencies to deliver a credible roadmap to mobilize $1.3 trillion a year by 2035.

We need new and innovative sources of financing, and credible carbon pricing.

Developed countries must honour their promise to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion a year, by this year.

And we need serious contributions to the fund for responding to Loss and Damage, and to get it up and running.
Excellencies,

We can only meet these goals with stronger collaboration – between governments, and across society and sectors.

Those that will lag behind need to be not a reason for us to be discouraged but an increase in our commitment to move forward.

The rewards are there for the taking, for all those ready and willing to lead the world through these troubled times.

We are at a turning point. I urge you to seize this moment; and seize the prize.

Thank you.

MIL OSI Africa –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General Urges Developed Countries to Double Annual Climate Adaptation Finance to $40 Billion

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the virtual high-level segment of the Sixteenth Petersberg Climate Dialogue, held in New York today:

Thank you for this opportunity — and for your focus today on collective climate action and acceleration of implementation. This could not be more timely. There is much uncertainty and instability in our world. But, today, we meet in the wake of some good news.

Just this morning, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) officially confirmed that 2024 was a record year for renewables additions to global power capacity. Renewables represented more than 92 per cent of all new electricity-generation capacity installed last year.

The amount of renewables added represents more than the total electricity capacity of Brazil and Japan combined. Europe’s capacity grew by 9 per cent — with Germany contributing more than one quarter of that growth. Africa’s capacity grew by almost 7 per cent.

All of this is another reminder of a twenty-first century truth: Renewables are renewing economies. They are powering growth, creating jobs, lowering energy bills and cleaning our air. And every day, they become an even smarter investment.

Since 2010, the average cost of wind power has plunged 60 per cent. Solar is 90 per cent cheaper. In 2023, clean energy sectors accounted for 5 per cent of economic growth in India and 6 [per cent] in the United States. It accounted for a fifth of China’s GDP [gross domestic product] growth, and a third of the European Union’s.

The economic case for — and opportunities of — climate action have become ever clearer — particularly for those who choose to lead. And leadership is what we need — as today’s IRENA report shows:

To accelerate the shift to renewables and to correct the imbalances in the transition, which is still starving developing countries — outside China — of the investment needed to fully embrace clean energy.

As the title of this session puts it so well: we are indeed at a turning point to the future. In the 10 years since Paris, we have seen other important progress. Ninety per cent of global emissions are now covered by net-zero targets.

A decade ago, the planet was on course for a global temperature rise of over 4°C. Today, countries’ national climate plans — or NDCs [nationally determined contributions] — if fully delivered — will take us closer to a 2.6°C rise.

At the same time, climate challenges are piling up. It seems records are shattered at every turn — the hottest day of the hottest month of the hottest year of the hottest decade ever.

All of this is hitting the vulnerable hardest, and everyday people in their pockets — with higher living costs, higher insurance premiums and higher food prices. Just last week, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that 2024 was another alarming year.

Almost every climate indicator reached new and increasingly dangerous heights — inflaming displacement and food insecurity and inflicting huge economic losses. And for the first time, the annual global temperature was 1.5°C hotter than pre-industrial times.

Scientists are clear: it is still possible to meet the long-term 1.5°C limit. But, it requires urgent action. And it requires leadership. I see two critical fronts to drive action.

First, new national climate plans — or NDCs — due by September. Investors need certainty and predictability. These new plans are a unique opportunity to deliver and lay out a coherent vision for a just green transition. They must align with the 1.5°C limit, as agreed at COP28 [twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]. And cover all emissions and the whole economy.

Together, they must reduce global emissions 60 per cent by 2035 compared to 2019 and contribute to the COP28 global energy transition goals.

All this must be achieved in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of national circumstances but everybody, everybody must do more. The Group of 20 (G20) — the largest emitters and economies — must lead.

Every country must step up and play their part. The United Nations is with you all. President Lula and I are working to secure the highest ambition from the largest economies.

The United Nations Climate Promise is supporting 100 countries to prepare their new climate plans. And we will convene a special event in September to take stock of the plans of all countries, push for action to keep 1.5°C within reach, and deliver climate justice.

Second, we must drive finance to developing countries. The COP29 finance agreement must be implemented in full. I count on the leadership of the COP29 and COP30 presidencies to deliver a credible road map to mobilize $1.3 trillion a year by 2035.

We need new and innovative sources of financing, and credible carbon pricing. Developed countries must honour their promise to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion a year, by this year.

And we need serious contributions to the fund for responding to loss and damage, and to get it up and running.

We can only meet these goals with stronger collaboration between Governments, and across society and sectors. Those that will lag behind need to be not a reason for us to be discouraged, but an increase in our commitment to move forward.

The rewards are there for the taking, for all those ready and willing to lead the world through these troubled times. We are at a turning point. I urge you to seize this moment; and seize the prize.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the Virtual High-Level Segment of the 16th Petersberg Climate Dialogue [as delivered]

Source: United Nations secretary general

Thank you for this opportunity — and for your focus today on collective climate action and acceleration of implementation.

This could not be more timely.

There is much uncertainty and instability in our world.

But today we meet in the wake of some good news.

Just this morning, the International Renewable Energy Agency officially confirmed that 2024 was a record year for renewables additions to global power capacity.

Renewables represented more than 92 per cent of all new electricity generation capacity installed last year.

The amount of renewables added represents more than the total electricity capacity of Brazil and Japan combined.

Europe’s capacity grew by 9 per cent – with Germany contributing more than one-quarter of that growth. Africa’s capacity grew by almost 7 per cent.

All of this is another reminder of a 21st century truth:

Renewables are renewing economies.

They are powering growth, creating jobs, lowering energy bills, and cleaning our air.

And every day, they become an even smarter investment.

Since 2010, the average cost of wind power has plunged 60%. Solar is 90% cheaper.

In 2023, clean energy sectors accounted for five per cent of economic growth in India and six in the US. It accounted for a fifth of China’s GDP growth, and a third of the EU’s.

The economic case for – and opportunities of – climate action have become ever clearer – particularly for those who choose to lead.

And leadership is what we need – as today’s IRENA report shows:

To accelerate the shift to renewables…

And to correct the imbalances in the transition, which is still starving developing countries – outside China – of the investment needed to fully embrace clean energy.

Excellencies, dear friends,

As the title of this session puts it so well: we are indeed at a turning point to the future.

In the ten years since Paris, we have seen other important progress.

Ninety percent of global emissions are now covered by net-zero targets.

A decade ago, the planet was on course for a global temperature rise of over four degrees Celsius.

Today, countries’ national climate plans – or NDCs – if fully delivered – will take us closer to a 2.6-degree rise.

At the same time, climate challenges are piling up.

It seems records are shattered at every turn — the hottest day of the hottest month of the hottest year of the hottest decade ever.

All of this is hitting the vulnerable hardest, and everyday people in their pockets – with higher living costs, higher insurance premiums, and higher food prices.

Just last week, the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that 2024 was another alarming year:

Almost every climate indicator reached new and increasingly dangerous heights – inflaming displacement and food insecurity and inflicting huge economic losses.

And, for the first time, the annual global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times.

Scientists are clear – it is still possible to meet the long-term 1.5 degree limit.

But it requires urgent action. And it requires leadership.

Excellencies, dear friends,

I see two critical fronts to drive action.

First, new national climate plans – or NDCs – due by September.

Investors need certainty and predictability.

These new plans are a unique opportunity to deliver – and lay out a coherent vision for a just green transition.

They must align with the 1.5-degree limit, as agreed at COP28. And cover all emissions and the whole economy.

Together, they must reduce global emissions 60% by 2035 – compared to 2019…

And contribute to the COP28 global energy transition goals.

All this must be achieved in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of national circumstances but everybody, everybody must do more.

The G20 – the largest emitters and economies – must lead.

Every country must step up and play their part.

The United Nations is with you all.

President Lula and I are working to secure the highest ambition from the largest economies.

The United Nations Climate Promise is supporting a hundred countries to prepare their new climate plans.

And we will convene a special event in September to take stock of the plans of all countries, push for action to keep 1.5 within reach, and deliver climate justice.

Second, we must drive finance to developing countries.

The COP29 finance agreement must be implemented in full.

I count on the leadership of the COP29 and COP30 Presidencies to deliver a credible roadmap to mobilize $1.3 trillion a year by 2035.

We need new and innovative sources of financing, and credible carbon pricing.

Developed countries must honour their promise to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion a year, by this year.

And we need serious contributions to the fund for responding to Loss and Damage, and to get it up and running.
Excellencies,

We can only meet these goals with stronger collaboration – between governments, and across society and sectors.

Those that will lag behind need to be not a reason for us to be discouraged but an increase in our commitment to move forward.

The rewards are there for the taking, for all those ready and willing to lead the world through these troubled times.

We are at a turning point. I urge you to seize this moment; and seize the prize.

Thank you.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: What is the World Health Organization and why does it matter?

Source: United Nations MIL OSI

By Eileen Travers

21 January 2025 Health

When the plague, cholera and yellow fever rippled deadly waves across a newly industrialised and interconnected world in the mid-19th century, taking a global approach to health became an imperative. Doctors, scientists, presidents and prime ministers urgently convened the International Sanitary Conference in Paris in 1851, a precursor to what is now the largest of its kind: the World Health Organization, known as WHO.

From laboratories to battlefields, the United Nations specialised health agency has been dedicated to the wellbeing of all people since 1948. It is guided by science and supported by its 194 member nations, including the United States, a co-founder that on Monday announced plans to withdraw.

What has WHO done for the world? The short answer is – a lot. The UN agency currently works with its membership and on the health frontlines in more than 150 locations and has achieved many public health milestones.

© WHO/Neil Nuia

WHO and partners provide COVID-19 and other vaccines to remote communities, including in Kuvamiti in the Solomon Islands. (file)

Here’s what you need to know about the planet’s biggest health body:

Tackling emergencies

Amid crises, conflict, the continuing threat of disease outbreaks and climate change, WHO has responded, from wars in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine to ensuring lifesaving vaccines and medical supplies arrive in remote or dangerous areas.

With healthcare facing unprecedented risks, WHO documented in 2023 over 1,200 attacks affecting workers, patients, hospitals, clinics and ambulances across 19 countries and territories, resulting in over 700 deaths and nearly 1,200 injuries.

Indeed, WHO teams often go where others do not. They routinely evacuate injured patients and provide lifesaving equipment, supplies and services in conflict or disaster-ravaged areas.

Watch below as WHO teams helped to unroll a multi-agency polio vaccination campaign in war-torn besieged Gaza in September 2024, when the fast-spreading virus reappeared 25 years after it had been eradicated:

[embedded content]

Tracking and addressing health crises

Every day and through the night, teams of WHO experts sift through thousands of pieces of information, including scientific papers and disease surveillance reports, scanning for signals of disease outbreaks or other public health threats, from avian flu to COVID-19.

WHO mobilises to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks while also strengthening access to essential health services.

That includes bolstering hospital capacity to do everything from delivering new babies to treating war injuries and training healthcare workers.

© WHO/Ploy Phutpheng

A laboratory scientist works at a WHO collaborating research centre in Thailand. (file)

Eliminating diseases around the world

A wide range of diseases and conditions are ripe for elimination given the right public health policies, including neglected infectious and vector-borne diseases, sexually transmitted infections, diseases passed from mother to child and those that vaccines can prevent.

The UN health agency supplies essential medicines and medical equipment while working to enable – and where possible, strengthen – laboratory capacity to diagnose diseases.

In 2024, WHO Member States achieved several milestones in tackling these major global health challenges. Seven countries (Brazil, Chad, India, Jordan, Pakistan, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam) eliminated a range of tropical diseases, including leprosy and trachoma.

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis have been eliminated in Belize, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Namibia reached a key milestone towards elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and hepatitis B.

WHO has also played a key role over the past seven decades, including in eradicating smallpox in 1980, achieving the near eradication of polio and providing lifesaving assistance in Gaza during the recent war.

© WHO/Sebastian Meyer

A WHO mobile clinic provides services in Duhok, Iraq. (file)

AI and digital health

WHO is embracing new frontiers, including artificial intelligence (AI), in digital health.

As the influence of emerging AI technologies continues to grow, WHO is working to ensure its safety and effectiveness for health.

That includes new guidance published last October listing key regulatory considerations on such issues as harnessing the potential of AI to treat or detect conditions like cancer or tuberculosis while minimising risks like unethical data collection, cybersecurity threats and amplifying biases or misinformation.

WHO/Blink Media/Juliana Tan

In Singapore, digital devices help patients reach their healthcare providers. (file)

Taking on deadly climate-related health crisis

The climate-related health crisis affects at least 3.5 billion people – nearly half of the global population.

Extreme heat, weather events and air pollution caused millions of deaths in 2023, putting enormous pressure on health systems and the working population, from current wildfires burning across the US west coast to deadly flash floods in Indonesia.

WHO/J.D.Kannah

An Ebola virus survivor in the Democratic Republic of Congo has his eyes checked at a WHO-supported eye clinic in North Kivu. (file)

Part of WHO’s response has been to protect health from the wide range of impacts of climate change, which includes assessing vulnerabilities and developing plans.

The UN agency has also worked on implementing response systems for key risks, such as extreme heat and infectious disease and supporting resilience and adaptation in health-determining sectors such as water and food.

What’s WHO working on now?

WHO is leading efforts for a global treaty take a further, deeper step to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, much along the lines of the founders of the 1851 International Sanitary Conference.

The UN agency is also currently working to achieve its “triple billion targets”.

Set in 2019, the targets are that by 2025, one billion more people will be benefitting from universal health coverage, one billion more people will be better protected from health emergencies and one billion more people will be enjoying better health and wellbeing.

Who leads WHO?

The leadership is truly international.

Based in Geneva, the UN agency is headed by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The current approved biennium programme budget for 2024-2025 is $6.83 billion, coming from member assessments, alongside voluntary contributions.

WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, is made up of its member nations, which meet annually to agree on WHO priorities and policies.

Members make decisions on health goals and strategies that will guide their own public health work and the work of the WHO Secretariat to move the world towards better health and wellbeing for all. That includes implementing reform measures that have made WHO more effective.

Learn more about WHO here and in our latest video below:

MIL OSI United Nations News –

March 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Global coal use at an all-time high as China tops international coal consumption rankings – P-000033/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament

The decarbonisation of energy systems is a key element of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions. At COP28 in 2023 in Dubai[1], parties agreed, among others, to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.

In the EU, the electricity used to power electric vehicles is increasingly produced from renewable sources. As a result, the amount of GHG emitted per unit of electricity has halved between 1990 and 2023, and emissions are set to decrease further. These developments will be reflected in the carbon footprint of products, as required by EU legislation[2].

The EU does not have a trade agreement with China. The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) concluded in principle in 2020 is put on hold.

The Commission decided not to put the agreement to ratification when China sanctioned Members of the European Parliament, the Subcommittee on human rights, think tanks, and the Political and Security Committee of the Council.

Those sanctions are still in place. To encourage China to decarbonise swiftly and peak their emissions before 2030, the EU continues to engage bilaterally under the High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue, and the Energy Dialogue.

On 26 February 2025, the Commission adopted a Clean Industrial Deal[3] to accelerate the decarbonisation of EU industry while strengthening its competitiveness. In addition, the Affordable Energy Action Plan[4] will help reduce energy costs while strengthening EU’s industrial base.

Further, the Global Energy Transition Forum[5], launched by the President of the Commission in 2025 in Davos, seeks to unlock new clean energy investments opportunities for EU business abroad.

In parallel, the Commission works to ensure that the EU continues playing a leading role in energy and climate diplomacy.
- [1] Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- [2] As required by Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2023 concerning batteries and waste batteries, amending Directive 2008/98/EC and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repealing Directive 2006/66/EC, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj; or by implementing legislation under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, amending Directive (EU) 2020/1828 and Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and repealing Directive 2009/125/EC (Text with EEA relevance), http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj
- [3] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/9db1c5c8-9e82-467b-ab6a-905feeb4b6b0_en?filename=Communication%20-%20Clean%20Industrial%20Deal_en.pdf
- [4] The Plan has been announced most recently in the EU Competitiveness Compass: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_339
- [5] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/news/president-von-der-leyen-launches-global-energy-transition-forum-davos-2025-01-23_en
MIL OSI Europe News –
March 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Press Release 04 March 2025 Report: How climate insights drive a more reliable renewable energy transition

Source: World Meteorological Organization

Highlights

Renewable Energy Generation & Demand in 2023 (expressed as a percentage change from the 1991-2020 baseline)

Figure: Global annual deviations for the four energy indicators – wind, solar, hydropower and energy demand – as presented in the report. Deviations are expressed as percentages for 2023 relative to the 1991-2020 reference period average and are aggregated by region. Hatching is used to highlight negative values for easier identification.

Note: The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by WMO, the United Nations, IRENA or the European Union.

Key energy indicators – wind, solar, hydropower and energy demand – exhibited significant geographic variability in 2023 compared to the long-term climate average (1991-2020). Driven by drier and warmer El Niño conditions, South America experienced a 3.9% increase in solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity factor (CF), leading to an estimated 3.5 TWh/year of additional generation from the region’s 50 GW installed capacity. Similarly, East Asia saw a 4.1% positive anomaly in wind power, generating an estimated 45 TWh from its 420 GW of installed onshore capacity, with 95% of this in China.

Climate informed energy planning: The report illustrates the potential applications of seasonal forecasts as a valuable tool for energy planning and management. Seasonal climate forecasts empower stakeholders to anticipate supply–demand fluctuations, optimize grid operations and enhance energy system resilience. They also enable better preparation for extreme weather events, ensuring energy security and minimizing disruptions.

Policy implications for achieving 2030 targets: Diversified energy portfolios, combining wind, solar and hydropower with emerging technologies such as geothermal and storage, are essential to mitigate the impact of climate variability and change on renewable power generation and management.

Regional collaboration and localized solutions will also play a key role in balancing supply–demand dynamics, optimizing cross-border energy flows and building resilient energy infrastructures.

Comprehensive energy data collection and sharing are vital for advancing the understanding of climate variability’s impacts on energy supply and demand.

Adopting a climate-informed, collaborative approach will accelerate progress toward a sustainable, net-zero future, says the report.

It also recommends the creation of new market structures to account for the flexibility of new and clean power systems.

Despite abundant renewable energy resources, Africa accounts for only 2% of global installed capacity. By integrating resource potential with climate information, countries can effectively develop renewable energy infrastructure to support industrialization and economic growth, accelerating sustainable development across the continent.

Achieving the 1.5 °C climate target necessitates substantial increases in renewable energy capacities by 2030 and 2050.

Wind power installed capacity surpassed 1 000 GW in 2023, a 13% increase compared with 2022). Solar power has been growing considerably faster than wind power, with an installed capacity reaching 1 420 GW in 2023, a 32% increase compared with 2022. Hydropower has grown slightly, with an installed capacity of about 1 410 GW in 2023, an increase of 1% compared with 2022.

Wind power capacity is projected to reach approximately 3 000 GW by 2030 and 8 000 GW by 2050, solar power capacity is expected to expand to about 5 400 GW by 2030 and 18 000 GW by 2050, and hydropower capacity is anticipated to grow to 1 500 GW by 2030 and 2 500 GW by 2050.

These figures are consistent with the targets established in the UAE Consensus during COP28 in 2023, which emphasized the need to triple RE capacity by 2030.

Additionally, IRENA reported significant cost reductions in Renewable Energy technologies between 2010 and 2023, with solar energy costs decreasing by approximately 90% and wind energy costs by about 68%.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation in atmospheric science and meteorology.

WMO monitors weather, climate, and water resources and provides support to its Members in forecasting and disaster mitigation. The organization is committed to advancing scientific knowledge and improving public safety and well-being through its work.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

March 4, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Fifth meeting of the Trees in Dry Cities Coalition: Integrating Urban Trees into Policy and Plans
Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Since its launch at COP28 in Dubai, the Trees in Dry Cities Coalition has been advancing its Action Plan, focusing on key priorities for implementation. Building on discussions at COP16 in Riyadh, particularly on policy and finance, this meeting will:
- Discuss the technical guide on integrating urban forestry into national planning frameworks and its practical application to link local and national policy.
- Assess progress on the Action Plan and explore next steps for policy alignment and implementation.
- Provide a briefing on the finance stream, summarizing key takeaways from the dedicated webinar.
The Fifth Meeting of the Coalition will serve as a checkpoint for implementation progress and provide a space for open discussion on key actions for 2025.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
March 4, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Fifth Trees in Dry Cities Coalition Meeting and Consultation on Guidance on Integrating Urban Trees into Policy and Plans
Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Since its launch at COP28 in Dubai, the Trees in Dry Cities Coalition has been advancing its Action Plan, focusing on key priorities for implementation. Building on discussions at COP16 in Riyadh, particularly on policy and finance, this meeting will:
- Discuss the technical guide on integrating urban forestry into national planning frameworks and its practical application to link local and national policy.
- Assess progress on the Action Plan and explore next steps for policy alignment and implementation.
- Provide a briefing on the finance stream, summarizing key takeaways from the dedicated webinar.
The Fifth Meeting of the Coalition will serve as a checkpoint for implementation progress and provide a space for open discussion on key actions for 2025.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
March 4, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Consultation on Guidance on Integrating Urban Trees into Policy and Plans and Fifth Trees in Dry Cities Coalition Meeting
Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Since its launch at COP28 in Dubai, the Trees in Dry Cities Coalition has been advancing its Action Plan, focusing on key priorities for implementation. Building on discussions at COP16 in Riyadh, particularly on policy and finance, this meeting will:
- Discuss the technical guide on integrating urban forestry into national planning frameworks and its practical application to link local and national policy.
- Assess progress on the Action Plan and explore next steps for policy alignment and implementation.
- Provide a briefing on the finance stream, summarizing key takeaways from the dedicated webinar.
The Fifth Meeting of the Coalition will serve as a checkpoint for implementation progress and provide a space for open discussion on key actions for 2025.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
March 4, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Fifth Meeting and Consultation on Guidance on Integrating Urban Trees into Policy and Plans
Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Since its launch at COP28 in Dubai, the Trees in Dry Cities Coalition has been advancing its Action Plan, focusing on key priorities for implementation. Building on discussions at COP16 in Riyadh, particularly on policy and finance, this meeting will:
- Discuss the technical guide on integrating urban forestry into national planning frameworks and its practical application to link local and national policy.
- Assess progress on the Action Plan and explore next steps for policy alignment and implementation.
- Provide a briefing on the finance stream, summarizing key takeaways from the dedicated webinar.
The Fifth Meeting of the Coalition will serve as a checkpoint for implementation progress and provide a space for open discussion on key actions for 2025.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
March 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The Canada Carbon Rebate is still widely misunderstood — here’s why

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ruolz Ariste, Adjunct Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University

As Canada’s federal parties gear up for the upcoming federal election, one of the key issues on the campaign trail will be how Canada will meet its climate policy targets.

Several strategies exist to meet these targets, including: a border charge on imports, a border rebate for exports, a domestic output-based subsidy or a consumer-based carbon rebate like the Canada Carbon Rebate (CCR).

The CCR, introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration to curb carbon emissions, is designed to offset the costs of carbon pricing by providing rebates to households.

Read more:
The upcoming election is a critical juncture for Canada’s carbon tax and climate policies

However, both leading candidates for Liberal Party leadership, Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland, have said they will drop the CCR if elected. Carney has proposed replacing it with a green incentive program, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been a vocal opponent of the CCR altogether.

The debate surrounding the CCR is crucial, as carbon pricing is the most effective measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when paired with accompanying measures. Yet, despite its effectiveness, Canada’s major political parties are willing to scrap it because it’s not politically rewarding.

CCR is widely misunderstood

The CCR is widely misunderstood in Canada, leading to misleading narratives about its economic and environmental impacts.

A recent report from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) argues that industries facing pollution charges could become less competitive because of the CCR, potentially increasing Canada’s federal budget deficit by $4 billion by 2030, and making Canadians worse off.

Similarly, a Fraser Institute report argues Canada’s global emission footprint is too small for the CCR to make a difference, even if environmental benefits are accounted for.

However, these reports fail to fully assess the impacts of carbon pricing and risk distorting the debate and influencing policy in ways that could weaken Canada’s climate strategy.

Yet an overlooked crucial fact in the debate on the CCR is that 80 per cent of Canadian families received more in rebates than they paid in pollution pricing in 2024 because major polluters bear the highest costs under the system.

The missing perspective in assessments

While the PBO’s report may be valid from a business standpoint, the report didn’t run a full cost-benefit analysis, which would have weighed both the economic costs and the social benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In climate policy, the social perspective is much more important than the business one. Without this context, reports like the PBO’s risk being misinterpreted, particularly by politicians opposed to climate action. This could have significant negative consequences for environmental policy in Canada.

Read more:
The carbon tax needs fixing, not axing — Canada needs a progressive carbon tax

A major issue in economic assessments is that the benefits of greenhouse gas reduction are typically excluded because they extend beyond national borders. As a result, emissions reduction can appear to be a poor investment, when in reality, its global and long-term benefits far outweigh the initial expenses.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s cost-benefit guide acknowledges this issue. Under normal circumstances, global benefits should be excluded in cost-benefit analysis. However, given the nature of climate change, the guide states that the costs and benefits of greenhouse gas reductions — calculated using the social cost of greenhouse gas — are appropriate to include in cost-benefit analysis.

A recent UN report supports this approach, estimating that while global carbon policy measures could cost more than US$1 trillion annually, the economic benefits will be far greater. Shifting to a green economy could yield US$26 trillion by 2030, compared to maintaining business as usual.

Carbon leakage challenge

A major challenge for Canada’s carbon pricing strategy is that many of its key trading partners don’t impose similar emissions pricing on consumers.

For example, the United States and China don’t, even though they are the world’s two biggest polluters. While some jurisdictions, like California’s Cap-and-Trade Program and China’s national emissions trading system, have introduced emissions regulations, these programs are not as widespread as Canada’s.

This imbalance puts Canadian producers at a competitive disadvantage. In response, some businesses may choose to move their production operations to countries with weaker environmental regulations to avoid higher carbon pricing in Canada — a phenomenon known as “carbon leakage.”

Instead of reducing emissions, this carbon leakage simply shifts emissions elsewhere, undermining global efforts to address climate change. To counter this, there has been a growing interest in policies designed to prevent this from happening, such as border carbon adjustments.

This issue is critical to Canada’s ability to meet its climate policy targets. Without effective measures to prevent carbon leakage, the country could face higher costs and less impact on global emissions reduction efforts.

Can Canada still compete?

Given the U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Accord, one might wonder whether Canada should continue pursuing the CCR program.

Ideally, Canada would not have to choose between strong climate policy and economic competitiveness. However, without a co-ordinated global approach to carbon policy, Canada faces difficult trade-offs.

International organizations like the World Trade Organization (WTO) could step up by actively promoting carbon tariffs similar to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

At the heart of this debate is the “polluter-pays principle,” which holds that those who pollute must bear the costs of their actions. This principle is central to climate justice.

Read more:
Carbon pricing works: the largest-ever study puts it beyond doubt

Carbon pricing is the only abatement instrument that can implement the polluter-pays principle, but additional policies — such as border charges on imports, border rebates for exports or domestic output-based subsidies — are required to make it more efficient and politically viable.

Currently, 75 carbon taxes and emissions trading systems are in operation worldwide, covering approximately 24 per cent of global emissions.

Canada is considering its own CBAM, but challenges remain. Implementing such a policy could lead to heightened trade tensions with the U.S. or even provoke retaliatory actions.

Need for international co-operation

To make carbon pricing and border adjustments work, international organizations must help close the knowledge and information gaps. One way to do this is by providing more accurate data on embedded carbon prices to improve the calculation of carbon prices down the road.

Further research is also needed to understand how domestic climate policies impact other nations and how to ensure CBAM’s interoperability with other climate measures. Such work will contribute to the optimization of climate policies for the benefit of all.

In the meantime, Canada’s climate policy must strive to integrate CBAM in a way that aligns with global trade systems like the WTO. Some trade law experts have expressed concerns that CBAM may not be compatible with the WTO General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and this must be addressed.

If Canada were to keep the CCR, this integration would be especially important as Canada navigates future trade relations with the U.S. under Trump’s unpredictable administration. Canada doesn’t want to fall behind in its climate action efforts.

Canadians would like the country to lead on climate action while staying competitive. A public consultation on this matter would be a good move from any elected political leader.

Ruolz Ariste is currently affiliated with Carleton University and Université du Québec en Outaouais.

– ref. The Canada Carbon Rebate is still widely misunderstood — here’s why – https://theconversation.com/the-canada-carbon-rebate-is-still-widely-misunderstood-heres-why-249097

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Diverse disaster risks in the Arab States have led to inspiring solutions

Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

SRSG Kamal Kishore visited Kuwait in February 2025 for the Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. In this article he reflects on the region’s challenges and successes.

The Arab States region is known for its extremes: some of the world’s harshest conditions, but also the famous hospitality of its inhabitants. It is home to some of the wealthiest nations, but also many amongst the least-developed. It faces serious disaster risks – especially slow onset disasters like drought and desertification – but is also a source of innovative solutions.

I spent the past week in Kuwait where disaster risk management policy makers and practitioners from 22 countries from the Arab States region came together for the 6th Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. This multi-stakeholder forum was called to take stock of progress against the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and devise ways to accelerate implementation over the next five years. Much of the success can be attributed to the generosity and professionalism of the host country, the State of Kuwait. The excellent organization of the Platform was the result of a tight partnership between the Kuwait Fire Force, the League of Arab States, and UNDRR’s Regional Office for Arab States, lining up a programme that covered a wide array of important topics for the region.

During the five intense days of deliberations, I learned many things. In a region that is beset by many challenges, disaster risk reduction issues do not always spring to mind as the most urgent. However the region has seen some of the worst disasters over the last few years – including floods in Libya (2023), Oman (2024) and UAE (2024); earthquakes in Syria and Morocco (2023); and a string of severe droughts across much of the region.

To say that the Arab States region is highly diverse is to state the obvious. However, this diversity goes beyond the nature of disaster risk (varying hazards, exposure, and socio-economic vulnerability) to the diverse institutional approaches adopted by countries of the region to manage disaster risk. The United Arab Emirates, in particular, have shown great leadership in the region, as champions of urban resilience and hosts of the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference.

During the Regional Platform I had so many enlightening conversations – formal and informal – and participated in numerous events and discussions. Considering all that I learned, I have the following reflections:

The next leap

Most of the countries in the region have established strong national level institutions for disaster risk management (these are variously named Disaster Management Agencies, or Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authorities, and so on) and many have developed multi-year strategies for disaster risk management (for example, Morocco has a strategy for 2020 to 2030).

The next leap would be to pursue more integrative work with all development sectors. Interesting initiatives are already emanating from the region. For example: UNDRR’s Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE) has helped develop and apply a resilience tool to aid the real estate sector in Dubai; and Libya and Iraq are modernizing the management of their irrigation dams.

Play closer attention to compounding risks

For example, sand and dust storms are getting more complex – in a region that has rapidly urbanized, not only are the impacts of these hazards evolving (such as the impacts on power transmission networks and renewable energy production), but these hazards are also combining with other threats such as soil and air pollution to create even bigger impacts.

ABCD (Align Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification) of Comprehensive Risk Management

This is a region where on-the-ground integration of the three Rio Conventions – Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Desertification – really comes alive. However, taking such a comprehensive approach requires that we align all of these interests across regional, national and sub-national institutions.

Blend tradition and innovation

The region is home to centuries of traditional wisdom to deal with extreme conditions and natural hazards – for example, this can be seen in how traditional housing and clothing have evolved to combat extreme heat. Traditional systems of finance such as Islamic Finance (and the notion of Zakat) provide a solid foundation for society’s financial resilience, particularly for the poorest. At the same time, many countries in the region are at the forefront of cutting-edge innovation – from advances in water management to the application of AI.

We can draw on both traditional wisdom and modern innovation to achieve disaster risk reduction objectives.

The energy and enthusiasm I witnessed during this past week gives me a sense of optimism that if we stay the course, this region can not only demonstrate on-the-ground disaster risk reduction results, but can also inspire action across the world.

The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, in June this year, will give an opportunity for all of the regions to share the outcomes of the Regional Platforms, and I look forward to the contributions arising from the Arab States Regional Platform.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

February 28, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: New report skewers Coalition’s contentious nuclear plan – and reignites Australia’s energy debate

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland

Debate over the future of Australia’s energy system has erupted again after a federal parliamentary inquiry delivered a report into the deployment of nuclear power in Australia.

The report casts doubt on the Coalition’s plan to build seven nuclear reactors on former coal sites across Australia should it win government. The reactors would be Commonwealth-owned and built.

The report’s central conclusions – rejected by the Coalition – are relatively unsurprising. It found nuclear power would be far more expensive than the projected path of shifting to mostly renewable energy. And delivering nuclear generation before the mid-2040s will be extremely challenging.

The report also reveals important weaknesses in the Coalition’s defence of its plan to deploy nuclear energy across Australia, if elected. In particular, the idea of cheap, factory-built nuclear reactors is very likely a mirage.

A divisive inquiry

In October last year, a House of Representatives select committee was formed to investigate the deployment of nuclear energy in Australia.

Chaired by Labor MP Dan Repacholi, it has so far involved 19 public hearings and 858 written submissions from nuclear energy companies and experts, government agencies, scientists, Indigenous groups and others. Evidence I gave to a hearing was quoted in the interim report.

The committee’s final report is due by April 30 this year. It tabled an interim report late on Tuesday, focused on the timeframes and costs involved. These issues dominated evidence presented to the inquiry.

The findings of the interim report were endorsed by the committee’s Labor and independent members, but rejected by Coalition members.

What did the report find on cost?

The report said evidence presented so far showed the deployment of nuclear power generation in Australia “is currently not a viable investment of taxpayer money”.

Nuclear energy was shown to be more expensive than the alternatives. These include a power grid consistent with current projections: one dominated by renewable energy and backed up by a combination of battery storage and a limited number of gas peaking plants.

The Coalition has identified seven coal plant sites where it would build nuclear reactors. Some 11 gigawatts of coal capacity is produced on those sites. The committee heard replacing this capacity with nuclear power would meet around 15% of consumer needs in the National Electricity Market, and cost at least A$116 billion.

In contrast, the Australian Energy Market Operator estimates the cost of meeting 100% of the National Electricity Market’s needs – that is, building all required transmission, generation, storage and firming capacity out to 2050 – is about $383 billion.

What about the timing of nuclear?

On the matter of when nuclear energy in Australia would be up and running, the committee found “significant challenges” in achieving this before the mid-2040s.

This is consistent with findings from the CSIRO that nuclear power would take at least 15 years to deploy in Australia. But is it at odds with Coalition claims that the first two plants would be operating by 2035 and 2037 respectively.

The mid-2040s is well beyond the lifetime of Australia’s existing coal-fired power stations. This raises questions about how the Coalition would ensure reliable electricity supplies after coal plants close. It also raises questions over how Australia would meet its global emissions-reduction obligations.

Recent experience in other developed countries suggests the committee’s timeframe estimates are highly conservative.

Take, for example, a 1.6GW reactor at Flamanville, France. The project, originally scheduled to be completed in 2012, was not connected to the grid until 2024. Costs blew out from an original estimate of A$5.5 billion to $22 billion.

The builder, Électricité de France (EDF), was pushed to the edge of bankruptcy. The French government was forced to nationalise the company, reversing an earlier decision to privatise it.

EDF is also building two reactors in the United Kingdom – a project known as Hinkley C. It has also suffered huge cost blowouts.

Recent nuclear reactor projects in the United States have also fallen victim to cost overruns, sending the owner, Westinghouse, bankrupt.

What does the Coalition say?

The committee report included dissenting comments by Coalition members.

As the Coalition rightly points out, global enthusiasm for nuclear power remains steady. The UK, France and the US all signed a declaration in 2023 at the global climate change conference, COP28, pledging to triple nuclear power by 2050.

And in the UK and France, advanced plans are afoot to construct new nuclear reactors at existing sites.

But even there, progress has been glacial. The UK’s Sizewell C project has been in the planning stage since at least 2012. The French projects were announced by President Emmanuel Macron in 2022. None of these projects have yet reached a final investment decision. Delays in Australia would certainly be much longer.

The Coalition also draws a long bow in claiming Australia’s existing research reactor at Lucas Heights, in New South Wales, means we are “already a nuclear nation”.

At least 50 countries, including most developed countries, have research reactors. But very few are contemplating starting a nuclear industry from scratch.

At least one issue seems to have been resolved by the committee’s inquiry. Evidence it received almost unanimously dismissed the idea small modular reactors (SMRs) will arrive in time to be relevant to Australia’s energy transition – if they are ever developed.

The Coalition’s dissenting comments did not attempt to rebut this evidence.

Looking ahead

Undoubtedly, existing nuclear power plants will play a continued role in the global energy transition.

But starting a nuclear power industry from scratch in Australia is a nonsensical idea for many reasons – not least because it is too expensive and will take too long.

In the context of the coming federal election, the nuclear policy is arguably a red herring – one designed to distract voters from a Coalition policy program that slows the transition to renewables and drags out the life of dirty and unreliable coal-fired power.

John Quiggin is a former member of the Climate Change Authority. His submission to the nuclear electricity generation inquiry was cited in the interim report

– ref. New report skewers Coalition’s contentious nuclear plan – and reignites Australia’s energy debate – https://theconversation.com/new-report-skewers-coalitions-contentious-nuclear-plan-and-reignites-australias-energy-debate-250912

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 26, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: A National Conference on ‘Sustainable Cooling and Doubling the Rate of Energy Efficiency Improvement,’ was held in New Delhi on Feb. 21-22, 2025

Source: Government of India (2)

Posted On: 25 FEB 2025 5:49PM by PIB Delhi

A National Conference on ‘Sustainable Cooling and Doubling the Rate of Energy Efficiency Improvement,’ was organised in New Delhi on Feb. 21-22, 2025. The two-day conference was jointly organized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the Power Foundation of India (PFI), under the Ministry of Power, Govt. of India.

The Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, inaugurated the Conference. While delivering his inaugural address, he remarked, “Energy efficiency is not just an option but a necessity for a cleaner, more sustainable, and economically prosperous future. By doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement, we can lower costs, enhance productivity, and significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions.”

The Hon’ble Minister highlighted that India’s power sector has made remarkable progress, with non-fossil fuel capacity reaching 47.15% and emission intensity reduced by 36% – well ahead of our commitments,” he added.

The Hon’ble Minister also launched a Report titled ‘India Energy Scenario 2023-24’ that provides a comprehensive overview of the country’s energy landscape, trends, and progress in energy efficiency and sustainability.

The Hon’ble Minister also unveiled a set of Energy-Efficient Retrofit manuals and flyers designed to offer a structured approach for evaluating, planning, and carrying out retrofits in existing commercial and residential buildings. These manuals will serve as a crucial resource for States/UTs, policymakers, and stakeholders in promoting energy efficiency initiatives.

Hon’ble Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Shripad Naik was also present at the inauguration. In his keynote address, he said, “India stands at a crucial juncture where increasing energy demand must be balanced with ambitious climate goals. As the world’s third-largest energy consumer, our commitment to doubling energy efficiency and advancing sustainable cooling is vital for economic growth and climate action. We have met our Nationally Determined Contributions well ahead of time. Under India’s leadership, the G20 and COP28 reinforced the urgency of accelerating energy efficiency globally.”

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Power, underlined that the G20 Summit in India in 2023 was a pivotal moment in advancing global energy efficiency, highlighting energy efficiency as the ‘first fuel’ and the adoption of the Voluntary Action Plan to double the rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030 through the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD). He stressed on the need to optimize energy demand from various sectors for doubling the rate of energy savings improvement by 2030.

To achieve this goal, India’s Energy Intensity (EI) improvement rate, estimated at approximately 2.5% in 2024, will need to increase to 4% by 2030, as per an estimate by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

While the policies and technologies to achieve the doubling goal are well-recognized and available, greater clarity is needed through stakeholder consultations on measuring energy intensity improvement, attributing energy savings impact, and translating global commitments into actionable steps. There is a pressing need to address rising cooling demand and ensure access to energy-efficient, sustainable cooling solutions. The two-day conference served as a significant step toward advancing discussions, fostering collaboration, and driving actionable solutions in this domain.

The National Conference brought together key stakeholders from the government, national and international agencies, multilateral organizations, civil society, industry associations, financial institutions, and consumers. Knowledge partners include global organizations such as the IEA, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), CLASP, and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), along with leading Indian think tanks like The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the Council for Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE). The Conference featured thematic sessions covering Buildings, Appliances, Industry, Transport, Investment, and Sustainable Cooling.

More than 50 speakers and 250 delegates were part of the Conference. The two-day National Conference concluded on Feb. 22, 2025.

About the Bureau of Energy Efficiency:

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory agency under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, leads efforts to enhance energy efficiency across the economy using various regulatory and promotional tools. The Bureau focuses on developing policies and strategies that emphasize self-regulation and market-driven principles, aiming to reduce the energy intensity of the Indian economy. BEE has launched numerous initiatives to promote energy efficiency in areas such as household lighting, commercial buildings, appliance standards and labelling, demand-side management in agriculture and municipalities, and across SMEs and large industries. It has also begun developing energy consumption norms for industrial sub-sectors and focuses on capacity building for State Designated Agencies (SDAs).

About Power Foundation of India:

The Power Foundation of India is a think-tank and a policy advocacy body in the power sector, operating under the Ministry of Power, Govt. of India.

The Foundation conducts independent, evidence-based research on key issues and challenges within the power sector. Its research covers a wide range of topics, including power generation, transmission, distribution, electricity trading, energy transition, and environmental sustainability.

Additionally, the Foundation designs and implements campaigns and outreach programs focused on relevant power sector themes.

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JN/SK

(Release ID: 2106170) Visitor Counter : 84

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 26, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Submission by the Commission of the nationally determined contribution – E-000643/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000643/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
César Luena (S&D)

According to the UN’s 2024 Emissions Gap Report[1], most countries are still far from meeting the targets set out in the Paris Agreement, which means that the 2035 climate commitments need to take a ‘quantum leap in ambition’ to give the world any chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.

Despite the dire situation, only 10 of the 195 countries that are part of the Paris Agreement have met the UN’s 10 February deadline to submit their 2035 climate commitments.

In view of the above:

1.Why has the Commission not met its obligation to submit the EU’s new nationally determined contribution?

2.When will it do so?

3.Given that the first global stocktake presented at COP28 urges the Parties to ensure that their new nationally determined contributions go further than their previous ones and establish emission reduction commitments for 2035 that are as ambitious as possible, how will the Commission reflect this commitment in EU legislation?

Submitted: 12.2.2025

[1] UNEP, 15th edition of its annual emissions gap report
Last updated: 20 February 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Statement by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Barbadian Prime Minister Mottley

Source: European Commission

European Commission Statement Bridgetown, 19 Feb 2025 Prime Minister, dear Mia,
Thank you for hosting me here in Barbados. It is indeed the first time that I am here, it is fantastic. It is a big pleasure to join you and our partners at this CARICOM Summit. I have crossed the Atlantic to share with you how much Europe values its partnership with the Caribbean. We live in an unpredictable world. In these times, it is more important than ever to stick together; to stand up for our values; and to deepen ties with friends.

Despite being an ocean apart, Europe and the Caribbean are very close at heart. We are strong and vibrant democracies; we are convinced that it is of big importance to defend multilateralism and the rule of law; we believe in freedom and the right of people to choose their own future. This is why you have been standing with Ukraine since the very beginning of the war. Ukraine is a future member of the European family. So supporting them means also supporting us. And it is important to also call for a just peace not only in Ukraine but also in the Middle East, in Sudan and Haiti, which is what you have always done.

While sharing our values, we also face some of the same challenges. When devastating hurricanes sweep through your islands, like hurricane Beryl last July, Europe wants to be by your side: We provide emergency support to those who have lost everything, we are rebuilding together. Actually, we are currently supporting Grenada to rebuild Carriacou and Petite Martinique with the goal of making the islands 100% powered by renewable energy. And we have just discussed how to strengthen our cooperation in resilience and preparedness, so to work closer together to have a foresight when these natural disasters and extreme weather events, which are often related to climate change, hit.

We know that the fight against climate change is truly existential. In the face of hardship, the Caribbean are showing incredible leadership. Especially you, my dear Mia. You have amplified the voice of small island nations on the global stage, for the benefit of all humanity. This was key, for example, to the launch of the Loss and Damage Fund together at COP29. It amounts to almost USD 750 million in pledge, half of it covered by Europe and its Member States. Because climate financing is another very important challenge. Europe is the leading provider. We contribute well beyond our fair share of the USD 100 billion annual target.

But we know that given the scale of the transition and its urgency, we need new and innovative financing tools – in addition – like green bonds and carbon and nature credits, for example, which is what we are working on. And we need to bring the private sector fully on board, with a smarter use of private and public funds. With your Bridgetown Initiative, dear Mia, you are leading the way to making green and development financing fairer, more accessible and more affordable so that the climate targets can be met.

Another initiative you mentioned is renewable energy. At COP28 we agreed on global targets for renewables and energy efficiency. We want to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency by 2030. To implement these goals, we created the Global Energy Transition Forum, because only what gets measured gets done, and we really need that the goals on paper are achieved on the ground. And this year, Barbados joined the Global Energy Transition Forum, I am very glad about that, that is great. It will allow us to deliver concrete projects on the ground and unlock more investment for the transition. And I hope that many Caribbean nations will follow your example.

This brings me to our bilateral work. The starting point for us is our investment programme Global Gateway. That is the investment programme abroad for partners. It is already at work – here in Barbados and across the Caribbean. Together with Hydrogen de France we have just signed the first green hydrogen storage project in Barbados. What is important is that renewable energy is homegrown, and therefore it is cheaper: It gives you energy independence and it gives you energy security, and it is the energy of the future, because it is clean energy.

We are, as you said, also working on the health sector. I think both of us have learnt our bitter lessons during COVID-19 and how vulnerable we are. And therefore, we support your pharmaceutical sovereignty. It means vaccines and medication produced in the Caribbean, for the Caribbean, but also to be a hub for the rest of the world. We have just signed a biomedical partnership between BioMedX, a European biotech company, and Barbados. And tomorrow, we will launch ‘PharmaNext’, a project that really boosts innovation and investments across the Atlantic. Because it also aligns the regulatory environment that is so important to move forward.

We have other great projects in the Caribbean. One has really caught my attention: In Barbados and Grenada, we are turning the sargassum threat into an opportunity, and I think it is really smart. We are working to transform this harmful alga into fertiliser, biomass and even cosmetics.This project has, and this is phenomenal, the potential to leverage almost EUR 400 million in investments. And actually, we are bringing thus a harmful alga, fighting a harmful alga but turning it into an opportunity that brings revenue. So it could not be better. Finally, we are bringing the Caribbean closer together and closer to us – with digital connectivity. Tomorrow, we will commit with Spain to deliver high-speed internet via satellite to even the most remote communities here. So the last kilometre that is always so difficult, we are going to manage that now via satellite.

To me, the spirit of Global Gateway is needed more than ever. We are investing in value chains, skills and jobs. We are sharing knowledge and technology for the benefit of both sides. We are looking into a long-term and trusted partnership. And we are convinced that a win-win situation is the most beneficial for our people and our economy.

Thank you very much again for having me here.

MIL OSI Europe News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Legislative proposal to include the EU 2040 climate target – E-000551/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000551/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Maria Ohisalo (Verts/ALE)

An EU-wide climate target for 2040 is to be set under the European Climate Law[1]. To that end, at the latest within six months of the first global stocktake referred to in Article 14 of the Paris Agreement[2], the Commission was to make a legislative proposal incorporating an EU 2040 climate target. The first global stocktake of the Paris Agreement concluded at the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in December 2023[3].

When will the Commission publish a legislative proposal for an EU 2040 climate target in order to ensure that the EU and its Member States adopt revised national climate action plans (i.e. nationally determined contributions, or NDCs) reflecting the 2040 target in a timely manner ahead of COP30?

Submitted: 6.2.2025

[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32021R1119.

[2] https://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/convention/application/pdf/english_paris_agreement.pdf.

[3] https://unfccc.int/topics/global-stocktake/about-the-global-stocktake/why-the-global-stocktake-is-important-for-climate-action-this-decade#:~:text=The%20stocktake%20takes%20place%20every,be%20put%20forward%20by%202025.
Last updated: 18 February 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Only political will can end world hunger: Food isn’t scarce, but many people can’t access it

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jennifer Clapp, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability, and Member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, University of Waterloo

History has shown us again and again that, so long as inequality goes unchecked, no amount of technology can ensure people are well fed.

Today, the world produces more food per person than ever before. Yet hunger and malnutrition persist in every corner of the globe — even, and increasingly, in some of its wealthiest countries.

The major drivers of food insecurity are well known: conflict, poverty, inequality, economic shocks and escalating climate change. In other words, the causes of hunger are fundamentally political and economic.

The urgency of the hunger crisis has prompted 150 Nobel and World Food Prize laureates to call for “moonshot” technological and agricultural innovations to boost food production, meaning monumental and lofty efforts. However, they largely ignored hunger’s root causes — and the need to confront powerful entities and make courageous political choices.

Food is misallocated

To focus almost exclusively on promoting agricultural technologies to ramp up food production would be to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The Green Revolution of the 1960s-70s brought impressive advances in crop yields, though at considerable environmental cost. It failed to eliminate hunger, because it didn’t address inequality. Take Iowa, for example — home to some of the most industrialized food production on the planet. Amid its high-tech corn and soy farms, 11 per cent of the state’s population, and one in six of its children, struggle to access food.

Even though the world already produces more than enough food to feed everyone, it’s woefully misallocated. Selling food to poor people at affordable prices simply isn’t as profitable for giant food corporations.

They make far more by exporting it for animal feed, blending it into biofuels for cars or turning it into industrial products and ultra-processed foods. To make matters worse, a third of all food is simply wasted.

Read more:
Earth Day 2024: 4 effective strategies to reduce household food waste

Meanwhile, as the laureates remind us, more than 700 million people — nine per cent of the world’s population — remain chronically undernourished. A staggering 2.3 billion people — more than one in four — cannot access an adequate diet.

Women queue up to receive food distributed by local volunteers at a camp in Somalia in May 2019. Conflicts hinder the effective delivery of humanitarian aid during food security crisis.
(AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Confronting inequity

Measures to address world hunger must start with its known causes and proven policies. Brazil’s Without Hunger program, for example, has seen dramatic 85 per cent reduction in severe hunger in just 18 months through financial assistance, school food programs and minimum wage policies.

Our politicians must confront and reverse gross inequities in wealth, power and access to land. Hunger disproportionately affects the poorest and most marginalized people, not because food is scarce, but because people can’t afford it or lack the resources to produce it for themselves. Redistribution policies aren’t optional, they’re essential.

Governments must put a stop to the use of hunger as a weapon of war. The worst hunger hotspots are conflict zones, as seen in Gaza and Sudan, where violence drives famine. Too many governments have looked the other way on starvation tactics — promoting emergency aid to pick up the pieces instead of taking action to end the conflicts driving hunger.

Read more:
Colonialism, starvation and resistance: How food is weaponized, from Gaza to Canada

Stronger antitrust and competition policies are vital to curb extreme corporate concentration in global food chains — from seeds and agrochemicals to grain trading, meat packing and retail — that allow firms to fix prices and wield outsized political influence.

Dependency trap

Governments must also break the stranglehold of inequitable trade rules and export patterns that trap the poorest regions in dependency on food imports, leaving them vulnerable to shocks.

Instead, supporting local and territorial markets is critical in helping build resilience to economic and supply chain disruptions. These markets provide livelihoods and help ensure diverse, nutritious foods reach those who need them.

Mitigating and adapting to climate change requires massive investments in transformative approaches that promote resilience and sustainability in food systems.

Agroecology — a farming system that applies ecological principles to ensure sustainability and promotes social equity in food systems — is a key solution, proven to sequester carbon, build resilience to climate shocks and reduce dependence on expensive and environmentally damaging synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

More research should explore agroecology’s full potential. And we must adopt plant-rich, local and seasonal diets, ramp up measures to tackle food waste and reconsider using food crops for biofuels.

This means pushing back against Big Meat and biofuel lobbies, while investing in climate-resilient food systems.

Bold political action needed

This is not to say that technology has no role — all hands need to be on deck. But the innovations most worth pursuing are those that genuinely support more equitable and sustainable food systems, and not corporate profits. Unless scientific efforts are matched by policies that confront power and prioritize equity over profit, then hunger is likely to here to stay.

The solutions to hunger are neither new nor beyond reach. What’s missing is the political will to address its root causes.

This message is shared by my colleagues with the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, IPES-Food, whose work covers a range of expertise and experience. Hunger persists because we allow injustice to endure. If we are serious about ending it, we need bold political action, not just scientific breakthroughs.

Jennifer Clapp receives funding from the Canada Research Chairs program and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food).

– ref. Only political will can end world hunger: Food isn’t scarce, but many people can’t access it – https://theconversation.com/only-political-will-can-end-world-hunger-food-isnt-scarce-but-many-people-cant-access-it-248736

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 13, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: COP29 climate talks end with $300 billion annual pledge, Guterres calls deal a ‘base to build on’

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

23 November 2024 Climate and Environment

Rich nations pledged to contribute at least $300 billion annually to the global fight against climate change as UN climate talks came to a contentious end early Sunday morning in Baku. Developing nations who had sought over $1 trillion in assistance called the agreement “insulting” and argued it did not give them the vital resources they required to truly address the complexities of the climate crisis.

After two weeks of intense negotiations, delegates at COP29, formally the 29^th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), agreed to provide this funding annually, with an overall climate financing target to reach “at least $1.3 trillion by 2035”.

Soundcloud

Countries also agreed on the rules for a UN-backed global carbon market. This market will facilitate the trading of carbon credits, incentivizing countries to reduce emissions and invest in climate-friendly projects.

These were among the big-ticket issues decided upon as the summit, underway since 11 November in the enormous Baku Stadium in the Azerbaijan capital, ran into double overtime.

Other steps forward at COP29 included:

This summit had been dubbed the ‘climate finance COP’, and representatives from all countries were seeking to establish a new, higher climate finance goal.

The target, or new collective quantified goal (NCQG), will replace the existing $100 billion goal that is due to expire in 2025.

In the closing days at COP29, negotiating teams from the developed and developing worlds were deadlocked over a final deal, with reports that representatives for least developed countries and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOIS) had walked out of the talks.

‘A more ambitious outcome’

Reacting to the outcome, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that while an agreement at COP29 was absolutely essential to keep the 1.5-degree limit alive, “I had hoped for a more ambitious outcome – on both finance and mitigation – to meet the great challenge we face.”

But he continued, this agreement provides a base on which to build and added: It must be honoured in full and on time. Commitments must quickly become cash. All countries must come together to ensure the top-end of this new goal is met.”

For many vulnerable nations, it represents a glimmer of hope—but only if commitments translate into swift action. “Commitments must quickly become cash,” the Secretary-General stressed, urging all countries to work together to meet the upper end of the new financial goal.

Beyond finance, COP29 built on previous gains in emissions reduction targets, the acceleration of the energy transition, and a long-sought agreement on carbon markets. These achievements come despite an “uncertain and divided geopolitical landscape,” which threatened to derail negotiations.

The UN chief commended negotiators for finding common ground, noting, “You have shown that multilateralism – centred on the Paris Agreement – can find a path through the most difficult issues.”

‘An insurance policy for humanity’

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell described the new finance goal agreed at COP29 as “an insurance policy for humanity.”

“This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing and protect billions of lives. It will help all countries to share in the huge benefits of bold climate action: more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy for all. But like any insurance policy – it only works – if the premiums are paid in full, and on time.”

He acknowledged that no country got everything they wanted, and that the world leaves Baku with a mountain of work to do. “So, this is no time for victory laps. We need to set our sights and redouble our efforts on the road to Belém,” in the eastern Amazonian region of Brazil, which is set to host COP30 next year.

‘Weak, insulting deal’

While some delegations applauded the deal, many from the developing world, including Bolivia and Nigeria, expressed their deep disappointment at what they argued was an “insultingly low” financing target and that the agreed text failed to significantly build on an agreement last year at COP28 in Dubai calling for nations to “transition away from fossil fuels”.

India’s representative strongly denounced the new goal, calling it a “paltry sum” and emphasizing, “We seek a much higher ambition from the developed countries [and the amount agreed] does not inspire trust that we will come out of this grave problem of climate change.”

A representative from a group of small island nations said: “After this COP29 ends, we cannot just sail off into the sunset. We are literally sinking,” and the conference outcome highlighted “what a very different boat our vulnerable countries are in, compared to the developed countries”.

UNFCCC/Kiara Worth

Civil society actors at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, advocate for climate financing initiatives.

Sierra Leone’s representative said African nations were disappointed in the outcome, which “signals a lack of goodwill by developed countries.” Indeed, the $300 billion deal was “less than a quarter of what science shows is needed and barely enough to forestall a climate catastrophe”.

Striking a different tone, a representative from the delegation of the European Union said the new climate finance goal would “simply will bring much, much more private money on the table, and that is what we need. And with these funds, we are confident we will reach the 1.3 trillion objective.”

Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

February 12, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: COP29 gets boost from Rio as G20 leaders back scaling up climate finance from ‘billions to trillions’

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

19 November 2024 Climate and Environment

The high-level diplomatic push for climate action shifted southward on Tuesday as G20 leaders meeting in Rio sent a clear signal to negotiating teams at stalled UN climate talks in Baku on the need to rapidly and substantially ‘scale up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources.’

While the statement from the world’s leading economies – and biggest emitters – stopped short of explicit reference of ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels’, to which all nations agreed last year at COP28 in Dubai, the G20 leaders did ‘welcome the balanced, ambitious outcome’ of those talks.

The G20 communiqué comes as the clock ticks down on COP29, which is set to wrap up this Friday in the Azerbaijan capital, Baku. The complex negotiations on new and significantly scaled-up funding for loss and damage and accelerated clean energy goals are moving slowly, as some countries dig into their positions while waiting for others to pull back from their own.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell who earlier warned against brinkmanship and what he called ‘you-first-ism’, said today that G20 leaders sent a clear message to their negotiators at COP29: “A successful new finance goal… is in every country’s clear interests.”

“Leaders of the world’s largest economies have also committed to driving forward financial reforms to put strong climate action within all countries’ reach,” said Mr. Stiell, who is the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convenes that annual COP meetings.

He added: “This is an essential signal in a world plagued by debt crises and spiraling climate impacts, which are wrecking lives, disrupting supply chains, and fueling inflation in every economy.”

‘Failure is not an option’

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is in Rio to participate in discussions on sustainable development the combat against poverty and hunger, as well as climate change, noted during a session earlier this morning that Brazil is set to host COP30 next year in the eastern Amazon region.

“Failure [in Baku] is not an option. It might compromise the ambition in the preparation of the new national climate action plans, with potential devastating impacts as irreversible tipping points are getting closer. The preservation of the Amazon is a case in point,” he said.

Missing the opportunity to reach agreement on a new climate finance deal in Baku “would inevitably also make the success of COP30 in Brazil much more difficult,” the Secretary-General said, and added: “I appeal to the sense of responsibility of all the countries around this table to help ensure that COP29 will be a success.”

Some climate and environment activists in Baku said they were cautiously optimistic about the communique, while others gave it a mixed verdict, saying the statement was vague on climate finance and failed to explicitly mention the need to transition away from fossil fuels.

Harjeet Singh, a climate activist who is the Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, shared his views with UN News: “Developed nations remain unmoved, failing to quantify the trillions needed or to ensure these funds are provided as grants – essential for achieving climate justice.”

He added: “Their rehashed rhetoric offers no solace for the fraught COP29 negotiations, where we continue to see a deadlock on climate finance.”

Agrifood solutions

Alongside the negotiations, dozens of meetings and events are underway COP29, with the bulk of today’s activities focused on agriculture, food security and water. Delegations from around world shared experiences on sustainable food production practices and addressed agriculture-related challenges.

Just in time for COP29, new analysis from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has found that nearly all countries identify agrifood systems as a priority for climate change adaptation (94 per cent) and mitigation (91 per cent) in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

According to the FAO, this highlights the tremendous potential of agrifood systems as climate solutions, especially as countries prepare to submit their third round of NDCs in 2025.

“Agrifood systems are key to achieving food security and hold the solutions to multiple challenges: climate change, biodiversity, land degradation, and water scarcity,” FAO Assistant Director-General Viorel Gutu said, as climate change is a significant driver of food insecurity in a world where around 730 million people still live in hunger.

He noted, “Unfortunately, current financing and investment are not sufficient to affect the transformation we need.” He added that, over the past two decades, funding for agrifood systems has declined from 37 per cent to 23 per cent of all climate-related development finance.

While agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, if done right, the industry can also help overcome the climate crisis.

Also spotlighting the importance of agriculture – for climate action and broader sustainable development efforts – was Jemimah Njuki, Chief of Economic Empowerment and Head of the Economics Division at UN Women

In an interview with UN News, she called on governments to provide special support to women-led farms.

“Without women, we will not be able to feed the world,” Ms. Njuki stressed. At the same time, she lamented that women are less likely than men to own the land they cultivate, and it is more difficult for them to secure loans to develop their businesses.

It is not only women who are affected but also other vulnerable groups, such as Indigenous peoples.

Andrea Echiverri of the Global Forest Coalition, an international nongovernmental organization advocating for social and gender justice for rural communities, said that she believes current agricultural practices are destructive to the environment.

“Take livestock, for example, which requires more and more pasture, meaning forests continue to be cut down, and Indigenous peoples are being expelled from their lands,” Ms. Echiverri said.

Governments, she emphasized, do not pay enough attention to the sustainability of livestock farming, although this industry accounts for about 16 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions and 15 per cent of all fossil fuels consumed.

UN News

View of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku from the Caspian Sea

Action on Water

Elsewhere in the giant Baku Stadium complex where COP29 has been running since last Monday, water-related challenges were in the spotlight at a panel discussion where experts and participants stressed that floods, droughts, shrinking water sources, and rising water levels threaten the well-being of populations, provoke forced displacement, and undermine food security.

For example, in countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, glaciers are shrinking rapidly, threatening long-term water supplies.

“The climate knows no borders, and water knows no borders,” emphasized Sonja Koppel, Secretary of the UN Water Convention. “At the same time, water can be both the cause of conflict and the key to its resolution.”

Speaking to UN News, she noted that 153 countries share water bodies with other nations, but only 28 per cent of them have agreements with their neighbors to cooperate most of their shared water resources. One successful example is the Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which have overcome differences and established cross-border cooperation on the Chu Talas River.

Ms. Koppel called on countries to use water resources to establish peace with their neighbors and effectively manage shared natural resources.

Formally the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, the treaty is a unique international legal instrument and intergovernmental platform which aims to ensure the sustainable use of transboundary water resources by facilitating cooperation. Initially negotiated as a regional instrument, it has been opened for accession to all UN Member States in 2016.

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MIL OSI United Nations News –

February 12, 2025