Floods in Libya: Civil war compounds devastation
Climate change is partly responsible for the floods that have devastated Libya but the legacy of civil war, political chaos and corruption have exacerbated their impact. Observers say aid is desperately needed.
Though numbers remain unclear, the full extent of the disaster caused by recent floods in northeastern Libya is becoming increasingly apparent. Local media quoted a government spokesperson as saying that over 5,200 people died in the port city of Derna, which has a population of 90,000 to 100,000.
"The death toll is huge, and thousands are reported missing," said Tamer Ramadan, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) delegation in Libya Tamer.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that at least 30,000 people had been displaced in Derna alone.
Located 300 kilometers (about 185 miles) east of Libya's second-most populous city of Benghazi, Derna is bisected by a riverbed that is usually dry in summer. Heavy rainfall turned it into a raging torrent that swept away several major bridges. Many of the high-rise buildings on the riverbanks collapsed.
"The situation is very catastrophic," said Hichem Chkiut, the aviation minister of the government that controls the country's east. "There are bodies everywhere, in the sea, in the valleys, under buildings," he deplored, warning that the final death toll would be "very, very high."
"I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city is gone," he said.
'Agonizing' wait to learn of relatives' fates
One resident of Derna told Reuters news agency he had already lost 30 members of his family. Like thousands of others, he did not know whether his remaining loved ones were dead or alive, a situation that is "agonizing," said Thomas Claes, the head of the Libya office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which is located in Tunisia, said people continue having difficulty contacting relatives.
"I'm hearing from quite a number of people here, who have had no contact with their relatives and friends for two or three days," Claes said. "This is also because the telephone network has collapsed. So, they don't know how they are or if they are even alive."
But while some wait and hope, others confront the reality of life without family and friends.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.