· 2 min read
illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Associated Press or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: New data unveiled at COP29 identifies Shanghai as the world’s most polluting city, with 256 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, surpassing entire nations like Colombia or Norway
• Other high emitters include Tokyo, New York City, and Houston, with emissions from some urban centers exceeding the totals of smaller countries
• The revelations come amidst frustration over the presence of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP29 and criticism of petrostates hosting climate talks
🔭 The context: The Climate Trace dataset, combining satellite observations and AI, offers a comprehensive look at emissions from over 9,000 cities
• It highlights sharp increases in emissions from countries like China, India, and Russia, while nations such as Venezuela, Japan, and the U.S. saw declines
• Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other leaders have called for reforms to the global climate negotiation process, criticizing the influence of the fossil fuel industry on COP talks
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Urban centers are major contributors to global emissions, underscoring the critical need for city-focused climate solutions
• The dominance of fossil fuel interests at COP29 raises concerns about the integrity of negotiations, threatening progress toward the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target
• Small island nations are advocating for action, emphasizing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations
⏭️ What's next: Brazil’s hosting of COP30 in 2025 is expected to shift the focus to deforestation and renewable energy transitions, potentially reducing fossil fuel influence
• Meanwhile, data from Climate Trace could play a pivotal role in pressuring cities and nations to adopt stricter emissions-reduction measures
• Negotiators at COP29 face increasing demands to address the fossil fuel lobby's outsized presence and to recommit to bold climate goals
💬 One quote: “It’s unfortunate that the fossil fuel industry and the petrostates have seized control of the COP process to an unhealthy degree” – Al Gore, Co-Founder, Climate Trace
📈 One stat: Over 1,770 fossil fuel lobbyists are officially listed as attendees at COP29, according to an analysis by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition
Click for more news covering the latest on pollution
