Climate change news from the ground, in a warming world Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here [[link removed]] Laurie Goering [[link removed]]

Climate editor

How big a threat is climate change to culture around the world?

In Bangladesh, more than 100 historic coastal mosques and archaeological sites [[link removed]] - including the imposing 15th-century Sixty Dome Mosque - are now at risk from worsening extreme heat, heavy rainfall, storm surges and saltwater seeping into foundations and walls.

A warming planet "is among the greatest threats facing culture [[link removed]] and natural heritages sites globally" - and one in five monuments is already at risk, UNESCO told our correspondent Mosabber Hossain.

A view of the Sixty Dome Mosque, part of Mosque City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bagherhat, in southern Bangladesh, May 4, 2022. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Mosabber Hossain

But culture can also be a way of tackling climate change.

In India, communities in Rajasthan state have begun planting trees to celebrate weddings, funerals, festivals and other cultural landmarks, in a drive to restore degraded land.

Making efforts to protect and improve nature as part of traditions [[link removed]] "creates a knock-on effect, combating everything from food insecurity to climate change," Shyam Sunder Jyani, the man behind the push, told our reporter Annie Banerji.

Relatives of sisters Suman and Sarita Takariya holding saplings at an event before the sisters' combined 'green' wedding ceremony in Runiya Barawas, India, May 2, 2022. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Annie Banerji

Cultural identity - including the desire for clear views over natural land - can also be a reason why renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, are turned away.

Making smarter use of limited space [[link removed]] - like putting 3,000 solar panels on the roof of a FedEx depot in Washington rather than on undeveloped land - can make a big difference in how fast renewables can be added to the grid, experts told our correspondent Carey L. Biron.

As more U.S. companies lay out plans to slash their emissions, demand is soaring for best practice guidelines on how and where to site clean energy projects.

"We're hoping to avoid the mistakes of the past," said Zach Starsia of LevelTen Energy, which runs an online marketplace connecting renewables projects with purchasers and investors.

See you next week!

Laurie

COVID-19 and Ukraine war threaten clean energy gains for poorest [[link removed]]

Hundreds of millions of people are projected to remain without electricity by 2030 as concerns grow over the prospect of meeting Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) on access to green and affordable energy

Bangladesh's historic coastal mosques feel climate change's bite [[link removed]]

Worsening climate-change-driven heat, heavy rainfall and storm surges threaten Bangladesh's coastal mosques. What needs to be done to protect them?

U.S. renewables 'frenzy' puts land conflicts on corporate radar [[link removed]]

As big firms from Apple to PepsiCo target net-zero emissions, there is hot demand for renewable energy projects that reduce the risk of protests over land use or wildlife impact

New global fund invests in nature to shore up climate change fight [[link removed]]

The Climate Investment Funds aim to raise at least $500 million to protect ecosystems in developing countries, partnering with indigenous people and local communities

Indian traditions entwine with trees in green drive to revive land [[link removed]]

Communities in India's Rajasthan state are planting trees to celebrate local customs and events such as weddings and funerals amid growing efforts to restore degraded land

Watchdog's new chief says high prices can support greener palm oil [[link removed]]

CEO of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil calls on companies profiting from a price surge driven by Ukraine war to invest in more climate-friendly, ethical production

First Bangladesh city climate plan targets industrial-hub pollution [[link removed]]

Narayanganj city, south of Dhaka, which manufactures cement, lime, steel, bricks and knitwear, is aiming to clean up its air and water in a bid to go green and protect residents

OPINION: Why food systems transformation must be a priority at Stockholm+50 [[link removed]]

Droughts, war, the rising prices of fuel and fertiliser are providing the catalyst for a perfect food storm

OPINION: Here's how environmental democracy can help peace in Latin America [[link removed]]

Chile has just adopted the regional Escazú Agreement, aimed at ensuring that every person has access to information, participation and justice on environmental matters

OPINION: Fossil fuels and sustainable development are incompatible [[link removed]]

Progress towards the SDGs will be extremely difficult in our warming world. The longer states wait to phase out fossil fuels, the more suffering will ensue

READ ALL OF OUR COVERAGE HERE [[link removed]] Have a tip or an idea for a story? Feedback on something we’ve written? Send us an email [mailto:[email protected]] If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can subscribe here [[link removed]]. Like our newsletter? Share it with your friends.

This email is sent to you by Thomson Reuters Foundation located at 5 Canada Square, London, E14 5AQ.

Thomson Reuters Foundation is a charity registered in England and Wales (no. 1082139) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 04047905). Our terms and conditions and privacy statement can be found at www.trust.org [[link removed]].

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Thomson Reuters Foundation Climate Newsletter. If you do not wish to receive future newsletters, please unsubscribe or manage your subscriptions below.

Manage your subscriptions [[link removed]] | Unsubscribe from this newsletter [link removed]

Unsubscribe from all TRF communications [link removed]