Half of the world's population vulnerable to climate change

Climate change will increase diseases, premature deaths and will cause an increase in malnutrition in regions such as Africa or Latin America, warns a new UN report, which confirms that almost half of the world’s population is already vulnerable to global warming

Two women walk through the arid land in Somalia in a file image. EFE / Pablo Tosco

Between 3.3 and 3.6 billion people live in contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change, underlines the document, which anticipates the possible effects of this global warming on health, food security, cities and other aspects of human life.

In the medium and long term (between 2041 and 2100) the authors of the study anticipate an increase in diseases transmitted through the consumption of food, water and other factors, as well as deaths related to heat waves.

The report thus anticipates an increase in dengue cases, with longer and more geographically widespread epidemics of this disease, which could even make it reach Europe.

It also anticipates more mental health problems, such as anxiety or stress, “especially among children, adolescents, the elderly, and people with underlying conditions.”

At the food level, the report warns about the possible decrease in agricultural production, which could cause malnutrition, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South and Central America.

The report indicates that populations living in coastal areas are especially vulnerable to climate change, with approximately one billion people exposed to long-term extreme weather events.

In the current context, with a global average temperature of approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius above industrial levels, human populations are already being negatively impacted, also economically, with serious damage to sectors such as agriculture, fishing , energy or tourism.

In cities, especially in the most vulnerable informal settlements, climate change has intensified phenomena such as pollution and the so-called “heat islands”, processes that affect key infrastructures such as transport, energy networks, water supply or the sewer.

Climate change has already contributed to health crises, especially in small island states, although it has also been key to the increase in floods and food insecurity in Africa and Latin America.

Experts acknowledge that although non-climatic factors such as geopolitical tensions are still the main drivers of conflicts, in some latitudes they have influenced their duration, severity or frequency.

Flooding in Sana’a, Yemen, in May 2019. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

EU, UN Host Summit on Cleaning, Protecting the World’s Oceans

World leaders met Friday in the French northwest coastal city of Brest for a three-day summit aimed at taking action to clean and protect the earth’s oceans.

The One Ocean Summit is being hosted by France, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union Council, along with the United Nations. The goal of the meetings is to raise awareness on issues such as pollution and over-fishing and get international commitments to address and reverse the situation.

French President Emmanuel Macron opened the summit with a call for such commitments “and useful actions, in hopes of setting “an international agenda for 2022.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke soon after, citing threats to the ocean and called for the adoption of an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean’s biodiversity. She said she was confident it could be adopted this year.

Von der Leyen cited a treaty signed in 2016 by the U.S., China, Russia, the EU and others, to protect the Ross Sea in Antarctica. She said, “They overcame their differences to protect this rich ecosystem. We can do it again.”

The treaty is being driven by the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, ((HAC)) an intergovernmental group of at least 70 countries co-chaired by Costa Rica and France and by the United Kingdom, aiming to get at least 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans protected by 2030.

U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry spoke at the summit and called out illegal fishing operations that use drag nets that destroy habitat and deplete the world’s fish stocks. Kerry said illegal activity accounts for one-fifth of all the world’s fishing.

On the sidelines of the summit, the United States and France issued a joint statement to announce they are launching negotiations on a global agreement to reduce plastic waste in the world’s oceans. They expect the negotiations to begin at the 5th U.N. Environment Assembly (UNEA) to be held in Nairobi later this month.

Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

World's oldest male gorilla dies at 61 | Main | Spanish edition

The world’s oldest male gorilla has died at the age of 61, Zoo Atlanta announced on Tuesday.

The gorilla was found dead by his care team, and the cause is not yet known, the zoo said in a statement, adding that staff were “heartbroken.”

Ozzie began to show signs of lack of appetite last Thursday and this week experienced swelling in the face, weakness and inability to eat or drink. A necropsy will be carried out.

“This is a devastating loss for Zoo Atlanta. While we knew this time would come someday, that inevitability does nothing to stem the deep sadness we feel at losing a legend,” said president and CEO Raymond King.

Ozzie was the third oldest gorilla in the world after two females: Fatou, 64, who lives at Berlin Zoo, and Helen, 64, of Louisville Zoo in Kentucky.

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