Environmental developments worldwide in April 2021

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) – April saw several reports on climate change and environment, including virtual Leaders' Summit on Climate hosted by US President Joe Biden, locust swarm successfully curbed in Kenya and the WHO's calls for a ban on the sale of live wild mammals in traditional food markets to prevent further diseases like COVID-19.

While discussions on the EU's climate goals and steps continue among environmental organizations and concerned citizens, EU institutions reach an agreement on a concrete text for the bloc’s climate law.

Here is a look at environmental developments, reports, events, and stories compiled by Anadolu Agency.

April 1:

- Drop in international oil prices coupled with the impacts of COVID-19 and floods in South Sudan have a severe negative impact on the economy, according to the country’s central bank governor.

April 2:

- Temperatures in most of northwestern Europe hit record levels as unusually warm weather grips the region.

April 7:

- Washington will support India’s plans to combat climate change by giving it “affordable access to green technologies and requisite finance,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs says.

April 8:

- More than 30 heads of state and global leaders pledge to prioritize actions that help African countries adapt to the impacts of climate change and build forward better.

April 9:

- Indonesia is planning to relocate the survivors of recent flash floods in East Nusa Tenggara province, particularly in the hard-hit Lembata regency.

- A giant dead whale, nearly 13.4 meters (44 feet) long and 7.9 meters (26 feet) wide, is found on a southern Bangladesh beach.

April 11:

- Over 116,000 Somalis have been displaced by extreme water shortages since October 2020, according to a joint statement issued by the UN and horn of African country.

April 13:

- The WHO reiterates its call for a ban on the sale of live wild mammals in traditional food markets to prevent future crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 19:

- An estimated 710 million children living in 45 countries, mostly in Africa, are at the highest risk of experiencing the impact of climate change, Save the Children warns.

April 20:

- Destruction and loss of life caused by increasingly devastating weather patterns only depict one side of climate change, says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

- Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg urges the global community to address vaccine inequity which the WHO head warns is a massive impediment to halting the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 21:

- EU institutions reach an agreement on a concrete text for the bloc’s climate law.

- Climate shocks and drought in Somalia may displace thousands of people this year, the Norwegian Refugee Council warns in a report.

April 22:

- World leaders gather at virtual Leaders’ Summit on Climate hosted by US President Joe Biden.

- EU Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic announces a new round of €43.5 million ($51 million) funding in humanitarian aid to help South Sudan fight hunger.

- The US president will pledge to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions at least in half by the end of 2030, according to a statement by the White House.

- The Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya announces that four new embryos of the nearly extinct northern white rhinos have been developed, promising the endangered animal a new lease on life.

April 23:

- Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza says the US cannot lead the world in achieving environmental goals as its capitalist economic model is the ultimate cause of global warming.

- Despite emitting the lowest amount of carbon per capita in the world, Africa suffers the worst impacts of climate change, including droughts and floods, locust and pest invasions, according to the head of the African Development Bank Group.

April 25:

- Bangladesh sees its highest temperature in seven years, hitting a scorching 41.2 degrees Celsius (106.2 degrees Fahrenheit), according to official figures.

April 26:

- Kenya announces that it has finally managed to contain the locust invasion that ripped through the East African country.

April 27:

- Two Spanish journalists are killed while filming a documentary about poaching in Burkina Faso, Spanish authorities announce.

April 28:

- Germany and China vow to deepen cooperation in various areas, including climate protection and health.

- Nine bird species in Indonesia are threatened with extinction this year, according to local organization Burung Indonesia.