Typhoons in the Philippines: The 2024 typhoon season in the Philippines was extraordinary, with 24 named storms, including six typhoons, hitting the country. This is significantly more than the average three storms and one typhoon that the country typically sees during the season. The huge increase in the number of typhoons and storms affected over 13 million people and put a huge strain on resources and infrastructure. Many of these extreme weather events also fell back to back giving little or no time for repairs and preparation. In response to the 2024 typhoon season, the Philippines government is investing in improving emergency responses and adapting infrastructure to prepare for future extreme weather events.
Update on Brazil’s Pledge to End Deforestation by 2030: In June 2023, Brazil’s government, led by President Lula, unveiled an action plan to eliminate illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. The Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon will boost the use of intelligence and satellite imager to track criminal deforestation activity and provide incentives for conservation and sustainable forest management. Degraded forest will be recovered, and more native plants and trees will be planted across the country.
The Amazon rainforest is home to three million species of plants and animals and one million indigenous people. Indigenous leaders have welcomed the plan but have stressed that more areas need full protection from any mining, farming or logging activity. Since setting out the plan in June 2023, the rate of illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has decreased by nearly 50%, a significant step in the right direction.
Heavy Downpours and Flooding in South-Eastern Spain: At the end of October 2024, South-Eastern Spain was hit by exceptionally heavy rainfall. Hundreds of thousands of people lost access to water and electricity, and over 400 people had to leave their homes. Over 200 people lost their lives as a result of the flooding. Many people in the region felt that they didn’t receive enough warning of the extreme weather forecast and so didn’t have adequate time to prepare or evacuate. They have called for better early warning systems to be put in the place in the region.
Electric Buses in India: The Indian Government announced a $7 billion fund to electrify public transport, providing thousands of emission free buses across the country. India now has the highest population of any country in the world, and so the government hope to make public transport an integral part of the culture of travel to reduce the number of private vehicles and reliance on them.