Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 28 June 2019
Heat wave outside has little impact on U.N. climate talks

By FRANK JORDANS hope that may still happen
Associated Press before a Sept. 23 summit
BERLIN (AP) — U.N. talks on hosted by U.N. Secretary-
tackling climate change General Antonio Guterres
made limited progress over at which governments from
the past 10 days, with sev- around the world are ex-
eral issues still unresolved pected to pledge greater
ahead of three key meet- ambition on tackling cli-
ings later this year, officials mate change.
said Thursday. A month later, countries will
Governments wrapped come together to decide
up their regular meeting how much money to give
in Bonn, Germany, amid a to the Green Climate Fund
record-setting heat wave that helps poor nations
in parts of Europe. cope with the impacts of
Australia, South Asia and global warming and shift to
the Middle East have also a low-carbon economy.
experienced extreme tem- Among the issues left un-
peratures this year in what resolved in Bonn were the
scientists warn could be a rules by which countries
sign of future conditions in and businesses can pay to
a warming world. cut greenhouse gas emis-
"We can no longer afford A man puts his feet in a fountain Thursday, June 27, 2019 in the Tuileries gardens in Paris. sions elsewhere and count
incremental progress when Associated Press this toward their own tar-
tackling climate change," gets.
U.N. climate chief Patricia countries to undermine Average global temper- making and for their ac- This is likely to become one
Espinosa said in a state- a key scientific report on atures have already in- tion," said Swiss diplomat of the main negotiating
ment at the end of the meeting that target. The creased by about 1 degree Franz Xaver Perrez, wearing points when Chile hosts the
talks. effort was led by Saudi Ara- Celsius since pre-industrial a t-shirt bearing the slogan annual U.N. climate summit
Espinosa called for "deep, bia, but also received overt times. Scientists say it's be- "science is not negotiable." in December.
transformational and sys- or tacit support from other coming increasingly un- A growing number of coun- "I urge governments to use
temic change throughout fossil fuel exporting nations likely the 1.5 C goal can be tries, including major indus- the rest of this year to find
society" to achieve the like Iran and Australia. achieved if current rates of trialized economies such solutions, allowing solid
most ambitious target in "To reject a report that looks greenhouse gas emissions as Britain, say they want to rules for carbon markets
the 2015 Paris climate ac- at what life might be under continue. stop adding carbon — the to finally take shape," said
cord — capping global temperature increases that Most countries present at main greenhouse gas — to Espinosa. "Businesses want
warming at 1.5 degrees we are very close to is fun- the talks said the 1.5-de- the atmosphere by 2050. this and they are looking for
Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by damentally problematic," gree report remains the This goal, known as 'net zero positive signals from gov-
the end of the century. said Tyrone Hall, an adviser benchmark for discussion. emissions,' failed to get the ernments that they will do
Campaigners and vulner- for the Alliance of Small Is- "We think all countries support of all 28 European this. They know it's a good
able countries lamented land States who took part should use that report as Union members earlier this way to reduce emissions
further attempts by oil-rich in the talks. the basis for their policy month, but campaigners globally."q

Mexico struggles to understand,

solve, seaweed invasion

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- azon River. Increased nutri- into the Caribbean, experts
co has spent $17 million to ent flows from deforestation say the seaweed actu-
remove over a half-million or fertilizer runoff could be ally appears to be sloshing
tons of sargassum sea- feeding the algae bloom. back and forth between
weed from its Caribbean But experts like oceanog- the Caribbean and Africa.
beaches, and the problem rapher Donald R. Johnson It all has the local popula-
doesn't seem likely to end said, "Do not blame the tion — which depends of
In this May 8, 2019 file photo, sargassum seaweed fills the shore any time soon, experts told Brazilians." Johnson said it tourism — fed up.
where fishermen push their boat to sea in Playa del Carmen, an international confer- appears that other causes "Fighting sargassum is a
Mexico. ence Thursday. contribute, like nutrient chore every day," said
Associated Press The floating mats of algae flows from the Congo River. Cancun Mayor Mara Leza-
seldom reached the famed Increased upwelling of nu- ma. "You clean the beach-
beaches around Cancun trient-laden deeper ocean es in the morning, and
until 2011, but they're now water in the tropical Atlan- sometimes you clean them
severely affecting tourism, tic and dust blowing in from again in the afternoon or at
with visitors often facing Africa may also be playing night, and then you have
stinking mounds of rotting a role, according to John- to go back and clean it
seaweed at the waterline. son, a senior researcher at again."
Initial reports suggested the University of Southern Ricardo del Valle, a busi-
the seaweed came from Mississippi Gulf Coast Re- ness owner in the seaside
an area of the Atlantic off search Laboratory. resort of Playa del Carmen,
the northern coast of Brazil, While it sometimes appears said, "We offer sun and
near the mouth of the Am- sargassum mats float west sand, nothing else.q