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A three-year investigation by the United Nations will almost entirely exonerate Royal Dutch Shell for 40 years of oil pollution in the Niger delta, causing outrage among communities who have long campaigned to force the multinational to clean up its spills and pay compensation.

shell Shell Oil nigeria Niger Delta oilspill Royal Dutch Shell un ogoniland

Fifty-five countries have met the UN’s 31st January deadline for submitting their intended climate mitigation commitments under the Copenhagen Accord. Crucially, submissions have been received by all major emitters, including the US, China, the EU, and India.

Only Canada has reduced its commitments - shame on Canada.

un copenhagen accord climate mitigation commitments

"UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on developed countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 40 per cent in an address to the Greek parliament Thursday. With just over a month remaining before a key UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Ban urged leading nations to unite on accord that is "comprehensive, equitable, balanced and binding" at the December 7-18 talks.

Climate change negotiations are currently underway in Barcelona, Spain ahead of the Copenhagen conference.

At an international conference on immigration in Athens on Wednesday, Ban said a deal is also needed at the Copenhagen conference in order to curb environmental refugees.

"We are in a critical period...populations will relocate due to more extreme weather including prolonged droughts, intensive storms and wildfires," Ban said, citing the rising migration numbers in Africa due to desertification and in Asia because of flooding."

ban ki-moon un greenhouse gas emissions climate refugees greennumbers

Spain late last month boosted efforts to bring into effect an international treaty to share and protect rivers and lakes crossing or forming international borders, telling the United Nations General Assembly it was committed to jointly addressing issues of security, development and protection of the environment.

spain water greenmonktv wwf un

A new study seriously doubts UN calculations of the global cost of adapting to climate change, Reuters reports.\n\nAccording to the study, conducted jointly by the International Institute for Environment and Development and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London, the cost will be at least two or three times higher than estimated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

un unfccc climate change imperial college GreenNumbers

Time is running out in the fight against global warming, the UN's top climate change official warned as a new round of UN talks got started on Thursday.
"There is little time left to get a solid negotiating text on the table. Clearly the clock is ticking," said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

global warming climate change accra gathering un