United Nations Says 80 Countries May Ramp Up Climate Pledges

UNITED NATIONS — About 80 countries want to increase their climate pledges ahead of schedule under the Paris climate accord, the United Nations said Tuesday, signaling that some of them would do so at a summit of world leaders in September.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
 has made climate change a signature issue.

Luis Alfonso de Alba, a Mexican diplomat who is currently the United Nations Secretary General’s envoy on climate change, declined to say which countries were expected to announce higher climate ambitions, nor whether they would be enough to make a difference to the fate of the world.

Even if every country were to meet the pledges already made under the 2015 Paris agreement — and they are nowhere on track to do so — it would be insufficient to avert the worst effects of climate change. An “exponential increase in ambition,” Mr. de Alba said, is needed.

Read the story from The New York Times by Somini Sengupta - “United Nations Says 80 Countries May Ramp Up Climate Pledges.”

Glaciers gone after record hot summers

Some of the southern region's smaller glaciers have disappeared, following two of the hottest summers on record.

Niwa found some of the southern region's smaller glaciers have disappeared. 

The discovery was made by Niwa climate scientists and glaciologists last month, during the annual long-term aerial Snowline Survey of the South Island's glaciers.

Niwa scientists take to the skies every March to record the snowline altitude of up to 50 glaciers, using specialised cameras from a light aircraft.

Read  the story from the Otago Daily Times by John Lewis - “Glaciers gone after record hot summers.”