Global environmental developments in December 2022

By Burak Bir

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

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

Dec. 1:

- Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) announces deforestation levels in the Brazilian Amazon fell 11%.

Dec. 2:

- The World Bank approves $250 million in financing to assist Bangladesh in strengthening its environmental management and encourage private sector participation in green investment.

- Nearly 14,000 birds are killed by the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus in Peru.

Dec. 4:

- The toxic breathing environment developed due to unabated air pollution in Bangladesh claimed 78,145-88,229 lives in 2019, according to a World Bank report.

- Recent super floods and torrential rains combined with drought and wildfires across Pakistan pose a "serious" threat to already under-pressure wildlife in the country.

Dec. 5:

- Around 2,500 dead seals wash ashore in Russia’s Dagestan Republic.

Dec. 6:

- More than 3.5 million Kenyan children will not be able to enroll in schools when classes resume in January due to an ongoing drought, according to Save the Children.

Dec. 7:

- The UK gives approval for the country's first new coal mine in 30 years at Whitehaven in Cumbria.

- ''Humanity seems hellbent on destruction'' by ''treating nature like a toilet'' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says at COP15, a two-week summit that kicked off in Montreal

Dec. 10:

- About 20 million jobs worldwide could be created by harnessing the power of nature to address significant challenges facing society, such as climate change, disaster risk and food and water insecurity, according to a UN report.

Dec. 12:

- The G-7 decided to establish an international Climate Club to tackle global warming, says German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Dec. 13:

- A 120-kilometer (75-mile) "clandestine road" built by illegal miners in Brazil's indigenous Yanomami territory is set to increase illegal mining activity close to a community living in voluntary isolation in the Amazon region, Greenpeace warns in a report.

Dec. 14:

- A “zero-waste” initiative presented by Türkiye is unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly.

- To combat rising smog, a Pakistani court bans all late-night business activities in the northeastern city of Lahore which has long been ranked high on the pollution index.

Dec. 15:

- Nearly 42,000 people died in Iran from air pollution in 2021, according to a member of the environmental committee in the country's parliament.

Dec. 16:

- Climate change drives an “unprecedented” number of larger and more deadly cholera outbreaks reported in around 30 countries in 2022, says the World Health Organization.

Dec. 19:

- A historical deal to protect 30% of the world's land and water by 2030 is reached, officials announce at the UN biodiversity conference in Canada.

Dec. 20:

- The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces it finalized new and tougher standards for heavy-duty vehicles to lower pollution and achieve zero emissions in the future.

- Canada begins a ban on the manufacture and import of many plastic items.

- Guterres announces he will convene a “Climate Ambition Summit” in September 2023. “It will be a no-nonsense summit. No exceptions. No compromises,” he says.

Dec. 23:

- More than 200 million people, roughly 60% of the US population, are under some form of winter weather warnings or advisories, says the National Weather Service.

- The number of children facing dire drought conditions across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia has more than doubled in five months, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Dec. 27:

- The 10 most financially destructive climate disasters in 2022 cost at least $200 billion while causing extreme human suffering from food insecurity, drought, mass displacements and the loss of life.

Dec. 28:

- 2022 will be the warmest year on record for the UK, says the country’s meteorological service.

Dec. 30:

- Marina Silva, an Amazon rainforest defender, is set to again become Brazil's environmental minister.​​​​​​​