Oz,brazilin climatecrisis spotlight Boris replaced by ‘melting ice’
Protesters kick off global rallies; Brazil releases uneasy data on deforestation in Amazon
Sydney:protesters in smoke-covered Sydney kicked off a fresh round of global demonstrations against climate change on Friday, with activists and schoolchildren picketing the headquarters of bushfire-ravaged Australia’s ruling party.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the offices of the conservative Liberal Party, as protesters in several Asia-pacific cities heeded the call to action from 16-year-old climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg.
The protests have taken on extra urgency in Australia - the country’s southeast has been devastated by hundreds of damaging bushfires in recent weeks.
Demonstrators turned out as Sydney was again enveloped in toxic smoke caused by the fires that have blanketed the city for much of the last month.
The target of the protesters’ ire was PM Scott Morrison, who has denied any link between the fires and climate change.
Protests also took place in Melbourne and Tokyo, where hundreds marched through the teeming Shinjuku district to raise awareness of the issue.
The demonstrations come as 200 nations prepare to gather in Madrid next week for a 12-day UN climate conference.
DISPUTE FREEZES GERMANY’S PLANS
BERLIN: Germany’s preparations for the climate conference in Madrid were dealt a blow when parts of the government’s plans for climate policy reform were blocked by parliament.
The plans hit the rocks in the upper house amid fears over financing and criticisms that they did not go far enough.
BRASILIA:BRAZIL released revised statistics showing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest surpassed 10,000 sq km in the year to July
2019 - the highest in more than a decade. The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said last week that satellite data showed 9,762 sq km were cleared of trees in the 12-month period, an increase of 29.5%.
This week’s revised data released by the INPE show the increase was greater than thought - a 43% jump in deforestation in the world’s largest rainforest, for a total loss of 10,100 sq km in the 12 months to July. That’s against a loss of 7,033 sq km between August 2017 and July 2018.
London:britain’s governing Conservative Party complained to the broadcasting regulator after its chosen representative was shut out of an election TV debate on climate crisis on Thursday.
Channel 4 said its one-hour live debate was for party leaders only but PM Boris Johnson declined to take part. Cabinet minister Michael Gove showed up to represent the party instead but was not allowed on.
Johnson was replaced by a melting ice sculpture of the Earth with his party’s logo on, as was Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who also declined to attend.
“Denying the Conservative Party any opportunity to contribute to this cross-party event is unfair and breaches the requirements to ‘preserve’ impartiality,” Lee Cain said in a letter to Ofcom on behalf of the Conservatives.
“There is clear precedent for such cross-party debates to take place without party leaders necessarily contributing.”
Leaders from the main opposition Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru and the SNP took part.
Presenter Krishnan Gurumurthy, thanking them afterwards, said, “Thank you also to
Michael Gove from the Conservative Party who did come here but sadly, as we made clear from the start, this debate was for leaders only and our leaders were only prepared to debate other leaders.
“Our offer to Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage to come here and discuss the climate emergency remains open.” In the debate, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “This election is our last chance to tackle the climate and environment emergency.”
The snap general election takes place on December 12.