Environmental developments worldwide in May 2022

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Several reports on climate change and its growing effects were released in May along with encouraging initiatives and pledges for environmental protection.

Below is a list of environmental developments, reports and events compiled by Anadolu Agency.

May 4:

- 193 million people experienced “acute food insecurity” last year, according to a report by the EU and UN, and called it a record figure and warned that the war in Ukraine will add to a “perfect storm” to make the hunger crisis even worse in 2022.

May 9:

- British energy giant BP signs 10-year offtake agreement with UK-based Clean Planet Energy to develop facilities to convert hard-to-recycle waste plastics into circular petrochemical feedstocks and ultra-low sulfur diesel.

May 11:

- Capacity additions in renewables electricity generation are expected to break another record this year, continuing last year's trend as governments increasingly seek to avail of renewables for energy security and climate benefits, warns the International Energy Agency.

May 12:

- The Sera Community Rhino Sanctuary in northern Kenya’s Samburu County -- the first community conservancy in East Africa to establish a black rhino breeding sanctuary -- is boasting increased rhino numbers.

- Emission reduction plans of oil and gas companies to invest in expensive and unproven technologies at scale are putting investors at risk, according to a report by financial think tank Carbon Tracker.

May 13:

- Nigeria’s minister of water resources warns that most regions of the country are at high risk of flooding.

May 14:

- An official with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- a UN body responsible for advancing knowledge on human-induced climate change -- urges rapid actions to end or minimize the usage of fossil fuels by the end of the decade.

May 15:

- Coinciding with World Climate Change Day, experts in India raise alarm about the susceptibility of the country to environmental issues, including climate change.

May 16:

- The Horn of Africa is experiencing its fourth consecutive failed rainy season and the worst drought since 1981, according to the UN.

May 17:

- Total energy investment, including local and international financing, in Southeast Asian nations need to reach $190 billion annually by 2030 to meet the region's climate targets, according to a report released by the International Energy Agency.

May 18:

- Greenhouse gas concentrations, sea-level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidification set four new climate change records in 2021, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

- Despite declines in deaths from household air and water pollution, pollution still kills more than 9 million each year, or one in six deaths worldwide, according to newly published research.

May 19:

- The number of people living in internal displacement due to conflicts or natural disasters worldwide hit a record 59.1 million at the end of 2021, up from 55 million annually earlier, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

May 22:

- Bird-watching guide and wildlife expert Emin Yogurtcuoglu has added 14 new species to Türkiye’s bird inventory during his 23-year observation adventure.

May 23:

- California Governor Gavin Newsom warns of potential mandatory water restrictions as the US' most populous state continues to fight a worsening drought that is in its third year.

May 26:

- Türkiye can serve as a model for other developing nations in "green industrialization," while itself focusing on efficiency and cooperation with other countries, says an expert from the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

May 27:

- European multinational aerospace firm and aircraft manufacturer Airbus announces it will develop hydrogen technology in its facility in the UK.

May 30:

- While tobacco use kills more than 8 million people around the world, tobacco farming also destroys nearly 3.5 million hectares (8.6 million acres) of area annually, warns the World Health Organization.

May 31:

- The situation in Somalia is extremely dire as 7.1 million people are going to be affected by drought before the end of the year unless there is a massive humanitarian effort, says the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.

- Meteorological agencies, including the world weather group and its humanitarian partners, issue an alert that starvation looms in northeastern Africa after four failed rainy seasons.