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Added on the 08/06/2022 14:59:18 - Copyright : France 24 EN
The world is "way off course" in its plan to prevent catastrophic climate change, warns UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the COP24 climate talks, where world leaders are meeting to flesh out the promises agreed in the 2015 Paris climate accord. SOUNDBITE
This creepy crawly insect is called a wax worm and, believe it or not, this little guy may just be the answer to global pollution. Footage provided courtesy of the Spanish National Research Council shows a brilliant new discovery made by researcher Federica Bertocchini. She discovered that wax worms are capable of eating through polyethylene plastic. The researcher demonstrated her discovery at a laboratory in Madrid on Wednesday. Although polyethylene is one of the world's most resistant forms of plastic, the worms can destroy the material by munching their way through it. According to the researcher, 100 worms can biodegrade up to 92 milligrams of polyethylene in just one night. That might not seem like much, but what if we multiply that by a thousand? Or even a million? The discovery is touted as the first all-natural solution to the disposal of the dangerous and wasteful material worldwide. Wax worms are now seen as the best way to biodegrade plastic without causing more harmful effects to nature. Polyethylene plastic, the material used to make plastic bags, is very durable. That's why we use it so often. The problem is that polyethylene is not biodegradable, which means that it stays in the environment for hundreds of years after being thrown away. It can cause all sorts of problems for wild animals and the natural environment in general. That's why this new discovery has the potential to help us clean up our act and restore areas like landfills and other areas polluted with plastic.
This giant metallic structure is actually a massive dust screen. This gigantic dust filter was built in the Chinese port city of Qinhuangdo to tackle the ever-present problem of pollution, which affects many Chinese cities. The dust shield is 75 feet tall, stretches for over 9,500 feet, and serves as a blockade against dust from the port's coal and mineral heaps. The Hebei Port Group plans to extend the dust screen to 11 miles, which should make it the largest in the world. The first ever red alert for severe fog issued in China last year proves that pollution continues to be a major problem. Thick smog even rolled through Beijing during New Year's Eve celebrations. China's Ministry of Environmental Protection has cracked down on some 500 Chinese companies for violations of laws on limiting smog levels in a bid to tackle ongoing severe weather issues
U.S. President Barack Obama ushers in the ratification of the global agreement to combat climate change. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
French President Emmanuel Macron launches "a coalition of champions for the financing of natural capital" at the Elysée Palace, in the presence of Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Gabonese President Ali Bongo, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, World Bank President Ajay Banga and US Special Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry. IMAGES
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the world is racing toward a climate change disaster and dismissed the global response as woefully inadequate. He says current climate policies are taking the world to a 2.8-degree temperature rise by the end of the century. "That spells catastrophe. Yet the collective response remains pitiful," Guterres tells a news conference. SOUNDBITE
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