Live Updates | UN Climate Summit

The report comes as officials discuss how to drastically slash emissions at the UN climate talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.The report found that the majority of the estimated savings are in China, where solar met 5 per cent of the total electricity demand and avoided approximately USD 21 billion in additional coal and gas imports in the first half of this year.Japan saw the second-highest impact, with USD 5.6 billion in avoided fuel costs thanks to solar power generation alone.

A group of climate activists gathered at the UN climate summit's main venue to protest against fuel fossil companies and other polluters.

The activists chanted slogans like, "kick polluters out, let people in" and sang and danced at the venue's entrance.

Speakers at the protests blamed big polluters for destructive weather events, like flooding drought and rising see levels.

"We stand here today to think of our people, to think of our planet," one of the speakers said. "We have to reclaim our rights now." Cansin Leylim, an activist from the 350.org climate group, criticised soft drink giant Coca Cola's sponsorship of the event as it is a major contributor to plastic pollution.

"The fact that Coca Cola is sponsoring the climate talks is, frankly, a joke," she said, adding that fossil fuel lobbyists at the summit have surpassed "the combined delegations of the small island states, the developing countries." Protests at COP27 are rare and small and all have taken place inside the venue's Blue Zone, which is considered a UN territory.

___ Sharm el-Sheikh: A few dozen activists held a silent protest early on Thursday at the UN climate conference venue to highlight human rights violations globally, particularly in Egypt, the host country.

The protesters held signs that read, "No climate justice without human rights." Most of them wore white T-shirts and had their hands tied or a piece of cloth in their mouths, to highlight the plight of jailed activists especially in Egypt where many pro-democracy activists have been behind bars for years.

"We're in solidarity with Egyptian prisoners of conscience right now," said Dipiti Bhatnagar, an activist with the Friends of the Earth International, a network of environmental organisations. "All human rights of everyone must be respected in order to achieve the dream of climate justice." Another environmental activist from Tanzania, Shamim Navil Nyanda, said human rights should be prioritised at the climate talks.

"We need to put human rights first. We need to look after humanity, and together we can protect the planet," she said.

___ Sharm el-Sheikh: Seven Asian countries have saved approximately USD 34 billion this year by using solar energy instead of fossil fuels, a report by three Asia-based climate think tanks said on Thursday. The report comes as officials discuss how to drastically slash emissions at the UN climate talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

The report found that the majority of the estimated savings are in China, where solar met 5 per cent of the total electricity demand and avoided approximately USD 21 billion in additional coal and gas imports in the first half of this year.

Japan saw the second-highest impact, with USD 5.6 billion in avoided fuel costs thanks to solar power generation alone. In India, solar power saved USD 4.2 billion in fuel costs in the first half of the year.

"Asian countries need to tap into their massive solar potential to rapidly transition away from costly and highly-polluting fossil fuels," said Isabella Suarez, one of the report's authors and energy analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. "While ambitious targets are important, follow through will be the key thing to watch moving forward." ___ Sharm el-Sheikh: A report released Thursday says deforestation in the expansive Congo Basin rainforest increased by 5 per cent in 2021.

The Forest Declaration Assessment said only two of the six Congo Basin countries who signed a 2021 commitment on halting and reversing deforestation by 2030 — Congo and Gabon — are on track with the goal. The report comes as officials and negotiators meet in the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for UN climate talks.

"The Congo Basin Forest is at a crossroads," said Marion Ferrat, senior the lead author of the report. "Deforestation has been low compared to other tropical regions, but we are seeing an upward trend." "If this trend continues, we risk losing the largest remaining intact forest in the tropics along with its immense and irreplaceable value for biodiversity, climate, and people." It's estimated that USD 100 billion is needed to preserve the Amazon Basin each year, said Lawrence Nsoyuni of the Geospatial Technology Group, who urged greater financial pledges.

"If world leaders are serious about their commitments to stop forest loss, they must step up financial support for the Congo Basin," he said.