The winter of Brexit

The UK’s trade in goods has fallen by 10% since 2019, while that of the other G7 countries has grown by 5%. And eight years after Bexit, we know the result: an isolated country with ‘amputated’ growth, a stifled healthcare system, Northern Ireland wanting secession… the promise to regain control over immigration has ended with the number of incoming foreigners doubling

Quick Take — Lack of coordination on issues concerning agriculture, energy and fisheries generate GDP losses of $25 trillion/year

their actions fuel interconnected crises in nature, climate and human health, according to an international report on biodiversity science policy For example, unsustainable agricultural practices may increase yields in the short term, but overuse of chemical inputs causes runoff pollution, which damages downstream water quality and increases human health burdens, including water-borne diseases… Biodiversity is declining at a rate of between 2 and 6 per cent per decade, weakening ecosystems that underpin food security and climate resilience, according to IPBES scientists. In addition, extreme weather events related to climate change have caused 12,000 disasters in the last 50 years, causing $4.3 trillion in damage, with 90 per cent of the effects falling on low-income countries.

Quick Take — At COP 29 climate conference very bitter agreement for countries of the South

States at the Baku climate conference pledged on Sunday to pay USD 300 billion a year to help developing countries adapt to climate change by 2035. A much smaller sum than they were asking for. While the sum tripled the initial target agreed in 2009(100 billion aid reached in 2022, two years late), it falls far short of the expectations expressed by the South and non-governmental organisations. To cope with the immense needs created by climate disasters, but also by the energy transition, the Africa group had initially spoken of USD 1.3 trillion. The money that will not come from the richest countries will be taken away from health, schools, etc. .On climate change in Albiate read here

The Mediterranean is one of the most polluted areas in the world. The report: ‘Up to 23 metres of coastline eroded, beaches and cities at risk’

What perhaps worries the experts most, however, is the speed at which the sea level is rising: about 2.8 mm per year, twice the 20th century average. The trend is expected to continue at a rate that will depend on future greenhouse gas emissions. By the end of the century, sea levels could rise by more than a metre, leading to increased coastal flooding. “Relative sea level rise has already increased the frequency of flooding in the historic centre of Venice,” confirms the report