Since Nature broadcaster and British icon Sir David Attenborough has been announced as one of the nominees for the this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in February this year by Norwegian lawmakers, environment issue seems to draw much more attention around the world and become a hot topic.
Sir David Attenborough was nominated jointly with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which assesses the state of biodiversity worldwide for policymakers.
They were nominated for “their efforts to inform about, and protect, Earth’s natural diversity, a prerequisite for sustainable and peaceful societies,” said nominator Une Bastholm, the leader of the Norwegian Green Party.
Early this year, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) In April honored British naturalist, broadcaster and green campaigner David Attenborough with the Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award.
UNEP said that Attenborough was honored for his dedication to research, documentation and advocacy aimed at enhancing the protection and restoration of natural habitats.
“Sir David Attenborough has devoted his life to documenting the love story between humans and nature, and broadcasting it to the world,” the UNEP’s executive director Inger Andersen said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
Andersen noted that advocacy spearheaded by Attenborough through television documentaries has revitalized action on climate change and pollution while strengthening the protection of global biodiversity hotspots.
“Sir David’s work will continue to inspire people of all ages to care for nature and to become the restoration generation,” said Andersen.
In July, records of more than 40 degrees Celsius were recorded in Britain, with widespread extreme heat, wildfires and stress on health systems reported across the European continent.
“This heatwave is the new normal,” said Petteri Taalas, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization based in Geneva.
“We have broken an all-time high in the UK,” Taalas warned. “Heatwaves will happen more frequently because of climate change.”
According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), temperatures will rise more quickly in Europe than elsewhere.
The IPCC expects a worrisome combination of climatic impact-driver changes by mid-century if global warming exceeds 2 degrees Celsius in the Mediterranean, such as temperature extremes, an increase in droughts and aridity, drops in precipitation, increasing wildfires, sea level extremes and less snow cover.
The IPCC Special Report on Extremes also shows that heatwaves will be more frequent, more prolonged and more intense in the 21st century, adding that early warning systems and reinforced health systems will be needed.
Meanwhile, Former U.S. President Barack Obama earned a nomination for the 74th Emmy Awards for Netflix’s documentary series “Our Great National Parks” In July.
David Attenborough (The Mating Game) was among the competitors with the 44th U.S. President for outstanding narrator in the biggest event of the year for U.S. television.
The International Water Association (IWA) on Sept. 13rd convened a high-level summit that brought together prominent figures from the water industry with government and municipal politicians to discuss water’s role in advancing climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).
“Policymakers must put water at the heart of action plans, and everyone has a role to play. Business as usual is not an option if we are to achieve the SDGs and climate targets,” Joakim Harlin, director of the Freshwater Ecosystems Unit of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), said in his opening address at the summit held during the ongoing World Water Congress & Exhibition.
The summit, which featured ministerial contributions from India, South Africa and other countries, had the theme “water as a key to action on climate and the Sustainable Development Goals” and addressed the three major topics of “finance, governance, and partnerships.”
On August 28, The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), a green lobby based in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, launched the climate justice torch (CJT) with the aim of galvanizing local actions geared toward hastening the transition to a low carbon future.
Mithika Mwenda, the executive director of PACJA, said the CJT campaign seeks to rally grassroots communities toward activities that promote green transition in a continent already reeling from a host of climatic shocks.
“The Climate Justice Torch campaign aims to mobilize and galvanize voices of the vulnerable communities while illuminating aspirations of African people who have suffered disproportionately from climate change impacts,” Mwenda said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Launched ahead of the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Summit slated for Egypt from Nov. 6-18, the torch campaign will raise the visibility of the plight of African communities on the frontline of climate emergencies like droughts, floods, cyclones, and wildfires.
On Sept. 11st, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Suweilam said that Egypt is one of the world’s most affected countries by climate change, Ahram Online news website reported.
The Egyptian minister made the remarks during the opening session of an environmental and development forum on Egypt’s preparations to host the 27th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) that will be held in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.
Egypt is suffering water scarcity, high temperature, erosion and saltwater intrusion into fresh water, the minister was quoted as saying.
The increases in population, unstable water shares (from rivers such as the Nile) and climate impacts have led to a shortage of water used for drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes in several countries, he added.
Environmentalists have won the Nobel Peace Prize in the past, including Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and former US Vice-President Al Gore.
The final winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is elected by five judges of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The members of the jury are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament, and members of the Norwegian Parliament have the right to nominate.
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 will be announced on October 7. The Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremony is held in Oslo, the capital of Norway, on December 10 every year.