After year of climate disasters, world off-track to curb warming
Catastrophic floods, crop-wilting droughts and record heatwaves this year have shown that climate change warnings are increasingly becoming reality and this is "just the beginning", experts say, as international efforts to cut planet-heating emissions founder.
The year did see some important climate progress, with major new legislation particularly in the United States and Europe as well as a deal at the UN climate talks to help vulnerable countries cope with an increasing onslaught of devastating climate impacts.
But the goal of keeping warming within a safer limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era appears increasingly in peril, with carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels -- the main driver of global heating -- on track to reach an all-time high in 2022.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned world leaders at a climate summit in Egypt in November that humanity faces a stark choice between working together in the battle against global warming or "collective suicide".
They opted to put off the most important decisions for another time, observers say.
This year UN climate science experts issued their strongest warning yet of the dangers facing people and planet, with a landmark report on climate impacts in February dubbed an "atlas of human suffering".
Since then a series of extreme events has illustrated the accelerating dangers of climate change, at barely 1.2C of warming.
Record heatwaves damaged crops from China to Europe, while drought has brought millions to the point of starvation in the Horn of Africa.
Floods super-charged by climate change engulfed Pakistan, affecting 33 million people and causing some $30 billion in damage and economic losses.
"The year 2022 will be one of the hottest years on earth, with all the phenomena that go with higher temperatures," said climate scientist Robert Vautard, head of France's Pierre-Simon Laplace Institute.
"Unfortunately, this is just the beginning."
This year is on track to be the fifth or sixth warmest ever recorded despite the impact, since 2020, of La Nina -- a periodic and naturally occurring phenomenon in the Pacific that cools the atmosphere.
When this phenomenon reverses, potentially within months, the world will likely climb to a "new level" in warming, said Vautard.
- Still polluting -
Economy-battering climate extremes, which amplified the energy price surges for many countries as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, provided the backdrop to last month's high-stakes UN climate talks in Egypt. The negotiations did make history, with wealthy polluters agreeing to a fund to pay for climate damage increasingly unleashed on poorer countries. Pakistani climate minister Sherry Rehman called the move a "down payment on the longer investment in our joint futures". But vulnerable nations and campaigners said the Egypt conference failed to deliver on the emissions reductions needed to curb climate losses and damages in the future. "COP27 tackled the consequences of climate change, but not the cause -- fossil fuels," said Harjeet Singh of Climate Action Network. To keep the 1.5C limit in play, planet-heating emissions need to be slashed by 45 percent by 2030, and be cut to net zero by mid-century. At 2021 UN talks in Glasgow, nations were urged to ramp up their emissions reduction commitments. But only around 30 countries have heeded that call, leaving the world on track to hot up by about 2.5C.
Celebrating GrandMothers
Mothers Day is the time to celebrate the important women in our lives. Among these cherished figures are grandmothers, whose love and wisdom bind our families together.
They have quietly nurtured many with their unconditional love, shared their wisdom, and created unforgettable moments.
Many grandmothers hold a special place in the hearts of their grandchildren.
In our special feature tonight, three people share stories of how their grandmothers, played a vital role in shaping their lives.
Here is GrandMothers with Rose Wangui.
May 12, 2024
Hot Air Reforms?
At the start of the year, the storm clouds had gathered as the Judiciary once again found itself in the position of having to defend its integrity against aspersions cast by a sitting head of state.
We spoke to Retired Judges Aaron Ringera and Sharad Rao, both of whom were charged with rooting-out corruption in the Judiciary at different junctures in Kenya's history. What lessons do we have to learn from their experiences, and would they recommend now? I am Olive Burrows, and this is NTV Presents.
May 9, 2024
Sly Marikiti Brokers
For several weeks last year, a team of the Nation Media Group's Specials and Investigations unit went out on an experiential assignment, to track the flow of fresh food produce from the farm to the market and to document the intricate details in between. Details that include the harsh business environment that farmers are subjected to, leading them to meagre earnings from their produce that are otherwise sold at a premium to the consumers. In between are dynamics that include brokers or middle men and other factors affecting business in fresh markets such as Marikiti here in Nairobi.
May 5, 2024
Enabled by tech and music, story of visually Joab Omino | EQuality
The story of Joab Omino, visually impaired from Kisumu driven by passion
May 5, 2024
Ringera's Tales
Justice Rtd Aaron Ringera had an exciting 46 years career in public office. Appointed twice as director of KACA &KACC by two presidents, chaired a committee that performed the famous radical surgery in judiciary but exited acrimoniously. What's his story and what's the story.
April 28, 2024
Sweet but deadly Tharaka Nithi honey || 12 minutes
At least 13 people have died after consuming wild honey locally known as Nchuura in Tharaka Nithi county in the last two years. Since 2019, Tharaka North constituency hits headlines as people die and scores hospitalized following the same. Nchuura is not made by common bees but by a species of smaller ones locally known as tuchuura, which do not sting and mainly live in hollow tress or abandoned burrows in the ground. Locals believe that the honey which is eaten raw, is medicinal and it is highly sought after, especially by pastoralists. The locals say Nchuura is sweeter than the normal honey and they cannot resist its sweetness despite it being deadly.
Our central region reporter Margaret Kimathi tells us more.
April 24, 2024
The dancing amputees | 12 minutes
April 23, 2024
PLO Lumumba, the Pan-Africanism Champion
When he is not litigating in courts, then he is probably giving a public lecture or seated on a panel somewhere across the continent of Africa preaching about the elusive dream of a united Africa. Kenya’s high court advocate professor PLO Lumumba is increasingly gaining traction in the continent for his passion on pan-africanism that has seen him stand out as the latter-day Kwame Nkrumah who was the champion for pan-africanism. So what drives him to be this passionate about mama Africa? What kind of Africa is his dream about and who inspires him the most?
April 21, 2024