COP29: Monaco calls for more collective action in face of climate change

21/11/2024

Against a backdrop of global voices, Monaco has made its own position on climate action clear at COP29, with the Principality’s Céline Caron-Dagioni speaking out on the need for increased collective action if the goals set by the Paris Agreement are to be met.

A Monaco delegation, led by Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development Céline Caron-Dagioni, has travelled to Baku in Azerbaijan to participate in the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, better known as COP29.

The event, which began on 11th November and will continue until 22nd November, has shone a spotlight on several pressing issues, from the need to set up a new financing framework to support developing nations in their climate mitigation and adaptation efforts to the finalising of carbon market mechanisms under the Paris Agreement—a crucial step towards enabling global cooperation in reducing emissions.

Speaking publicly at COP29, Caron-Dagioni emphasised Monaco’s robust measures to combat climate change at home, including aggressive targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She also issued a rallying call for collective action, stressing that all nations must strengthen and adhere to their commitments to keep global warming below the critical 1.5°C threshold, and highlighted the importance of decarbonising cities. To this end, she noted the role of innovative urban planning in adapting to and mitigating climate change impacts.

See more: Revolutionary design and green technology define Monaco’s A Fighera housing project

Caron-Dagioni was joined at COP29 between 18th and 20th November by Jérémie Carles, Laetitia Rebaudengo and Céline Gindre from Monaco’s Environment Department, as well as Carl Dudek from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

OTHER COP29 ACHIEVEMENTS

Beyond Monaco’s contributions, COP29 witnessed a number of pivotal developments, including preliminary agreements to establish a $100 billion annual fund for developing nations. The fund will be designed to scale renewable energy projects and build climate-resilient infrastructure.

There were also talks on loss and damage financing, the aligning of health priorities with climate action and the increase in the inception of national-level Cooling Action Plans that integrate sustainable cooling solutions into urban planning agendas, as well as the hot topic of climate equity.

Read related:

French climate minister withdraws from COP29 amid tensions with Azerbaijan

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Photo source: Les Restos du Cœur

Les Restos du Cœur prioritises women and children as poverty rates climb

by: Niki Borisova

21/11/2024

With poverty rates rising across France, Les Restos du Cœur’s current campaign is focused on providing vulnerable women and children, as well as single parent families, with vital support during the cold winter months.

For its 40th annual campaign, Les Restos du Cœur, a nationwide French charity founded in 1985 by the late comedian Coluche, will put all its efforts into supporting mothers, single-parent families and children.

Last year, the charity distributed 163 million meals to 1.3 million people. Among them were more than 128,000 children under the age of three who received assistance in some form – food, hygiene products such as diapers, and the like – from Les Restos du Cœur.

“Our goal is to tackle precariousness at its root—starting with early childhood,” said François Chantrait, the president of Restos du Cœur’s branch in the Alpes-Maritimes, in an interview with France 3.

A specific target of the campaign is mothers, who are often at the forefront of caring for families and are among those most impacted by economic hardship. Many thousands in the region rely on Les Restos du Cœur for essential support as they navigate financial insecurity and fight to ensure that their families have access to basic necessities.

Rising living costs have significantly increased the demand for assistance from Les Restos du Cœur, and the organisation anticipates a further rise this year as more people in France fall below the poverty line. According to the latest figures from INSEE, over nine million people in France live on less than €1,216 per month – 14.4% of the population.

On a positive note, the charity’s ability to build its programmes and initiatives has been bolstered by widespread public and private support in recent months and years. A recent appeal for donations raised €32 million, including a €10 million donation from the family of Bernard Arnault, the owner of luxury group LVMH, and €8 million from the French government.

For more information about Les Restos du Cœur, click here.

Read related:

Monaco’s church communities come together for Ecumenical Fair

Photo source: Les Restos du Cœur

France braces for cold snap, heavy snowfall and high winds forecast for Southern Alps

by: Elsa Carpenter

21/11/2024

A polar air mass is looming over France, and temperatures have tumbled to midwinter levels across the country. Forecasts of fierce winds and heavy snowfall have led Météo-France to activate orange weather alerts for 58 departments, including those in the southeast.

The strong winds experienced by much of the Riviera on Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th November are set to continue over the coming days as Storm Caetano sweeps across France.

Gusts of up to 150 km/h are expected on Alpine summits in the Alpes du Sud and Hautes-Alpes on Thursday 21st November, along with snowfall ranging from 30 cm to 70 cm in areas above 1,500 m.

See more: When are local ski resorts opening for the winter season?

Further to the north, snow is falling at much lower altitudes, and large swathes of France’s north are set to receive snow on Thursday 21st November.

With the arrival of the first snow episode of the season for much of France, temperatures have plummeted across the country. In some areas, daytime temperatures are not likely to rise above 3 to 5°C, levels more comparable to January averages than those of November.

These conditions are early but not unprecedented, according to Météo-France.

“More notable events have occurred in the past, such as in 2010 and 2013,” reads a statement published on the national forecaster’s website. “Lesser snowfalls have also been recorded in recent Novembers, including 2017, 2018, and 2019.”

The Alpes du Sud are already tipped with white after snowfall earlier in the month, and with the winter skiing season now just weeks away for many resorts in the region, many will be hoping that the cold snap heralds a good winter for mountain sports and activities.

Read related:

France: New winter tyre rules come into force for the 2024/25 season

Photo credit: Sydney Rae, Unsplash

Monaco’s church communities come together for Ecumenical Fair

by: Niki Borisova

21/11/2024

Monaco’s Christian community will come together to host the 54th Ecumenical Fair – the Kermesse Œcuménique for French speakers – in early December. The charitable event will raise funds for several parishes and associations in the Principality.

Monaco’s long-standing Ecumenical Fair will return to the Chapiteau de Fontvieille on Saturday 7th December.

Established in 1969, the annual event is now held under the presidency of Princess Caroline and serves as a key fundraising initiative for several parishes and associations in Monaco.

The Fair is organised by local groups such as the Paroisse Saint-Nicolas, the Société Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Monaco, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Association de l’Église Réformée de Monaco, St Paul’s Anglican Church congregation and the British Association of Monaco. The proceeds from the event will go towards supporting their numerous charitable activities.

The Kermesse Œcuménique will run from 10am to 6pm and offer a wide variety of items for sale, including clothing, toys, household goods, books in multiple languages, Christmas decorations and food. Donations of items to be sold at the event can be dropped off at the venue on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th December between 12pm and 6pm.

A tombola will be held at the end of the day.

The Ecumenical Fair has long been regarded as a staple of the Principality’s Christmastime calendar and unites the local community each year for a day of charitable giving.

Read related:

Heritage sites in Monaco that are well worth a visit

Photo credit: Robert Bagramov, Unsplash

Unseen and unheard: Women’s Rights Committee hones in on hidden forms of abuse

by: Niki Borisova

20/11/2024

Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25th November, Monaco’s Women’s Rights Committee has unveiled its latest campaign to tackle harder-to-spot forms of violence and abuse.

On 20th November, Monaco Life attended a press conference at the Ministry of State that outlined the Women’s Rights Committee’s plans for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Central to this year’s event is a new campaign entitled From Shadows to Light that shines a light on the work being done by Monaco-based professionals to help and support victims who have suffered from any form of abuse and violence, from mental and emotional abuse to domestic violence and lesser-known forms of maltreatment and oppression.

A cornerstone of the campaign is Chroniques des Violences Invisibles, a comprehensive book containing interviews with these professionals, as well as practical insights and contact information for support. It is available here. Further details of the campaign can be found here.

Alongside this initiative, the Women’s Rights Committee will be hosting a week-long programme of conferences and roundtable discussions between 22nd and 29th November that will highlight an array of topics, from economic abuse to discrimination against women in sports and against those with disabilities.

Celine Cottolarda, an inter-ministerial delegate for women’s rights in Monaco, said at the press conference, “It’s so important to keep talking about this issue [violence against women]… Some forms of violence are harder to see, which makes them even more difficult to tackle.”

She continued, “Financial control is often used alongside other forms of violence; women with disabilities are more vulnerable to sexual violence, and sadly, they’re often not taken seriously when they seek help. Each year, we try to focus on a specific issue that needs more awareness. Last year, we addressed digital violence, and this year, the goal is to help women find a path to freedom and recovery, while also highlighting the many challenges they face.”

On the agenda

The programme will begin with the Deconstructing Violence conference at 6.30pm on 22nd November. It will be held at the Automobile Club of Monaco and feature Dr. Anne Boisseuil.

This conference will be followed by Let’s Meet: ‘Naissances Respectées’ at 6pm on 23rd November at the Maison des Associations.

On 25th November, Economic Violence and Discriminatory Practices Against Women will be led by Saida Abouid at 6.30pm in the auditorium of the Lycée Rainier III. The following evening, on 26th November, a discussion titled Shedding Light on Invisible Violence Through Law will take place at the same venue.

On 27th November, Women with Disabilities as Victims of Violence: More Exposed, Less Protected will be presented by Stéphanie Gateau, an expert in international strategy and management.

The topic of violence in sports will be addressed in the conference Repairing Violence in Sports at 6.30pm at Théâtre Princesse Grace on 28th November.

Finally, the programme will conclude on 29th November with two events: a screening of Vivantes! at 11am at the Monaco Cinema, followed by Nous les Ambitieuses; and later in the evening, a theatrical forum titled Breaking Denial will be held from 6pm at the restaurant Marius.

All events are free, and registration is possible online. Click here for more information.

During the recent press conference, Cottolarda also mentioned the recently introduced Scale of Violence, a tool designed to help individuals identify and address hidden forms of abuse.

As of 1st November 2024, 49 cases of violence against women have been recorded by Monaco’s Direction de la Sûreté Publique this year. 35 victims have sought assistance from the AVIP, a local support organisation.

Read related:

New ‘Scale of Violence’ tool launched in Monaco to measure violence

Photo credit: Manuel Vitali / Monaco Communications Department

Sailing: Boris Herrmann deploys weather buoy as part of Vendée Globe scientific mission

by: Stephanie Horsman

20/11/2024

Just over a week into his 2024/25 Vendée Globe adventure, Malizia Seaexplorer captain Boris Herrmann has deployed a weather buoy off Cabo Verde as part of his commitment to gathering valuable scientific information from remote parts of the oceans during his around-the-world voyage.

The realms of science and sailing will converge during Boris Herrmann’s Vendée Globe adventure as the skipper of the Monaco-based Malizia Seaexplorer fulfils his environmental promises alongside his racing goals.

The German captain, one of 40 skippers competing in this world-famous event, set adrift the first of eight weather buoys northwest of Cabo Verde on 18th November, marking the start of his efforts to gather data for researchers during the around-the-world sailing race.

“With our team, we have deployed several weather buoys and other instruments like Argo floats numerous times in recent years, including the previous Vendée Globe, The Ocean Race, the Transat Jacques Vabre 2023, and The Transat CIC this spring,” said Herrmann. “These buoys are very important for meteorology but also for climatology.”

WHAT DO THE BUOYS DO?

The instruments drift with the ocean currents and record crucial information that cannot be measured by other means, such as satellites. This data includes water temperature, surface currents, and atmospheric pressure.

There are currently about 1,300 buoys in the oceans globally, with 230 of those based in the North Atlantic, where Herrmann and the other competitors are currently located.

According to Météo France’s Sébastien Péré: “The data collected by the drifter buoys improves vessel routing, helping to reduce environmental impacts. Boris was one of the pioneers among IMOCA skippers to deploy these buoys. In the Vendée Globe 2020/21, he was one of only three sailors to do so. We are pleased that he has continued to do so over the years. It is great to see that more and more sailors are now doing the same.”

The total number of captains carrying scientific devices for this year’s race has swelled from three in 2021 to 25 in 2024, showing the growing support these initiatives are receiving from the sailing community.

Team Malizia, co-founded by Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi, has a long track record of promoting ocean conservation and activism. Earlier this year, a measurement from the Malizia Seaexplorer’s data was presented in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports. Scientists determined that the data collected by the racing yacht helped estimate the ocean carbon sink—a natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs and stores atmospheric carbon through physical and biological mechanisms—particularly in under-sampled regions such as the Southern Ocean.

As of 10am on Wednesday 20th November, Herrmann is in 16th place, with 195.21 nautical miles separating the Malizia Seaexplorer from the leading vessel, Vulnerable, captained by the UK’s Sam Goodchild.

For more information on the race or to watch the buoy’s progress, click here.

Read related:

“Cracking start” for Boris Herrmann as he sets sail on his second Vendée Globe challenge

Photo credit: Boris Herrmann / Team Malizia

Month: November 2024