Ireland's parliament has become the second after Britain's to declare a climate emergency, a decision hailed by Swedish teenage environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg as "great news".

An amendment to a parliamentary report declaring a "climate emergency" and calling on parliament "to examine how (the Irish government) can improve its response to the issue of biodiversity loss" was accepted without a vote late Thursday.

Irish Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, who moved the amendment, called the decision "historic".

Thunberg, the 16-year-old activist who has spearheaded protests across Europe and is becoming one of the most passionate voices of the green movement, urged more nations to follow suit.

"Great news from Ireland!! Who is next?" Thunberg tweeted.

Britain's parliament became the first in the world to declare a climate emergency, passing the largely symbolic motion on May 1.

The step followed 11 days of street protests in London by the Extinction Rebellion environmental campaign group.

Extinction Rebellion's ultimate goal is to slash global greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025 and to end biodiversity loss, steps that have won the backing of left-leaning politicians across the world.

The British government is currently eyeing a 2050 target date, which it says can be achieved without causing substantial economic damage and at a relatively low cost.

Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Allianz aims for "climate-neutral" investments by 2050
Berlin (AFP) May 8, 2019
German insurer Allianz aims to make the massive investments that back its business "climate-neutral" by 2050, chief executive Oliver Baete told shareholders Wednesday. "One of the main thrusts of our commitment to society is based on measures to combat ongoing global warming," Allianz boss Baete told the group's annual general meeting in Munich. The commitment to going climate-neutral means that Allianz will no longer invest money in shares or bonds issued by companies whose activity is harmful ... read more