Description:
James Corbett's Sunday(?) Update for November 11 covers COP31 in Antalya. He says the UN climate meeting, jointly hosted by Turkey with Australia leading the talks, drops new targets for a push to turn old promises into action. A voluntary pledge aims to raise electricity's share of global energy from 20 percent to 35 percent by 2035 without requiring that power to be clean. He cites economist Tilak Doshi, who writes that phasing out fossil fuels is not a formal agenda item.
He recaps last year's COP30 in Brazil as a failure, including Bill Gates saying climate change is not an existential crisis, a highway cut through rainforest, and a fire in the conference tents. He then says the new pitch is climate health: a WHO report claiming six measures would save 1.6 million lives a year. He points to Charles Rotter, who argues that figure mostly counts deaths from soot, smog, indoor cooking, and sanitation, and that the touted trillions are fuel taxes.
He also covers a separate UN biodiversity COP17 in Yerevan. He says the Yerevan Pathway calls for more control of land, money, and resources, and he quotes Armenia's environment minister Hambardzum Matevosyan on directing how resources are used and where finance goes.
He recaps last year's COP30 in Brazil as a failure, including Bill Gates saying climate change is not an existential crisis, a highway cut through rainforest, and a fire in the conference tents. He then says the new pitch is climate health: a WHO report claiming six measures would save 1.6 million lives a year. He points to Charles Rotter, who argues that figure mostly counts deaths from soot, smog, indoor cooking, and sanitation, and that the touted trillions are fuel taxes.
He also covers a separate UN biodiversity COP17 in Yerevan. He says the Yerevan Pathway calls for more control of land, money, and resources, and he quotes Armenia's environment minister Hambardzum Matevosyan on directing how resources are used and where finance goes.
Show notes:
Transcript and sources
COP31 opens with leaders under pressure to tackle climate crisis | France 24
COP30 round-up | Watts Up With That
Bill Gates stepped away | Climate Depot
Why Microsoft and Amazon are turning to nuclear power for AI | Forbes
Rainforest cleared for the COP30 highway | BBC
Marc Morano on the COP flop
35 by 35 electrification pledge
At COP31, even the UN is giving up | Tilak Doshi
What's on the COP31 agenda
Climate health on the eve of COP31 | Climate Depot
Health Day press conference with Dr Tedros
WHO climate and health report
WHO's 1.6 million climate lives | Watts Up With That
Yerevan Pathway press release
UN biodiversity summit | CFACT