The impact of technology giants on the climate crisis; see other highlights Curto Verde

📱 Technology and climate change

Any effort to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and prevent global warming is doomed to failure unless much more is done to discuss the role that big technology companies now play a role in intensifying the climate crisis. 

This is the conclusion of a new report (🇬🇧) published by the international non-profit organization Global Action Plan.

From amplifying conspiracy theories and misinformation to their increasingly massive energy footprint, the world's biggest tech companies are not only making global warming worse, the report says, but they represent “a systemic digital obstacle to effective climate action.” ”, driving unsustainable consumerism, increasing division and moving society further away from democracy.

It is not the first time that “Big Tech” is highlighted for its climate impacts. A report from the Financial Times (*) pointed out that only five companies – Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple e Meta – use as much electricity as the whole of New Zealand. 

Research shows that climate misinformation continues to flourish on the biggest social media platforms, including Twitter e TikTok, which, according to experts, makes finding a global consensus on climate policy an almost impossible task. 

💰 Resources for preventing environmental disasters may become mandatory

The Brazilian Budgetary Guidelines Law (LDO) may start to reserve, obligatorily, a minimum percentage of resources to be allocated to actions to prevent and combat natural and unnatural disasters. The proposal in this regard (PLP 146/2021), by senator Jader Barbalho (MDB-PA), was approved by the Environment Committee (CMA) and is now being analyzed by the Economic Affairs Committee (CAE)system. (The Senate Agency)

The rapporteur, Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB), added that the project also determines the reserve of resources to face unnatural disasters, such as the collapse of the mining company Vale's dam in Brumadinho (MG), which in 2019 released around 12 million cubic meters of toxic waste into the environment and left hundreds dead, thousands homeless and destroyed a large area of Atlantic forest.

🌳 The role of the International Court in climate justice

A group of 18 countries, led by Vanuatu, will formally present, on December 9, a resolution to the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) asking that the UN Court issue an advisory opinion on the rights and obligations of countries in relation to climate change. 

The resolution is expected to be voted on in the coming weeks, with a majority needed to approve it.system. (Amnesty International*)

By supporting the resolution at the UN General Assembly, governments can show their support for tackling the climate crisis and the protection of the human rights of current and future generations. An overwhelming majority of States voting in favor of this resolution would signal international determination to confront the existential threat of climate change and promote a human rights-based approach to the climate crisis.

It is worth remembering that several actions have been filed against sovereign states that have failed to combat climate change.

Greta Thunberg and 600 other young people sue Sweden for failing to combat climate change

A group of 600 young people, including activist Greta Thunberg, have filed a class action lawsuit against the Swedish state for failing to take adequate measures to stop climate change. The lawsuit is part of an international wave of climate-related legal actions, some of them aimed at national governments. 

⛏️ UK approves controversial coal mine project

The United Kingdom government approved, this Wednesday (7), the project to open a underground coal mine for metallurgical use in the north-east of England, the first in the country in more than three decades.

The project, located in the county of Cumbria, is the target of criticism from environmental defenders, such as NGO Greenpeace, which denounces “climate hypocrisy” by the authorities.

The Minister for Territorial Balance, Michael Gove, “decided to authorize” the project, which will seek to offset greenhouse gas emissions in its operations, according to an official statement.

The decision was adopted in a context of strong tension between promejob creation efforts amid the economic recession and the government's climate commitments to achieve carbon neutrality 2050 up.

(To AFP)

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The beginning of COP15 on biodiversity; see other highlights Curto Verde

See highlights from Curto Green: at the opening of COP15, the UN criticized companies for transforming the world's ecosystems into “toys for profit”, and warned that, if there is no change of direction, the results will be catastrophic; Paris will host, in 2023, the second round of negotiations to agree on a global treaty on marine plastic pollution; study points out that the commitments of rich countries are insufficient to limit global warming; Annita launches recipes to involve fans in the “Veganuary” challenge, which seeks to encourage a diet without anything of animal origin throughout the month of January; and L'Oréal Brasil announces carbon neutrality in Brazilian units.

Curto Verde is a daily summary of what you need to know about the environment, sustainability and other topics linked to our survival and that of the planet.

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