because of a minister a key. tasked with imposing new a new order and a trial testing the nose of a nation. highway on. african nations step up corona virus vaccine rollouts but there are fears the south african variant could derail efforts to control the pandemic. again i'm adrian for get this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up. empty cooper testers and me i'm off faced off with the police despite fears of

a violent crackdown. facebook blocks australian news feeds as it goes to war with the government wants the tech giant to pay for contact. the u.s. congress holds wall street to task over their role in trying to curb the meteoric rise of stocks. we begin though with a coronavirus pandemic and growing alarm about the spread of the contagious south african virus strain across the continent that's a several countries began their 1st vaccine rollouts zimbabwe is the latest using the side of jab that china has distributed to several african countries the south african strain is now thought to be dominant but on wednesday senegal received its 1st 200000 doses of the jab but there are concerns about the chinese vaccines efficacy after a stay. that it produced

a weak immune response against the south african mutation deaths across the african continent of their reached 100000 with a contagious variant of limited access to vaccines many are concerned that could get much higher. reports from harare she says that there are public concerns around the vaccine roll out. there but they will go on for about a throughout the country health workers are being vaccinated but most of the people work in public hospitals where they had complained for many years about the lack. of the some of the nurses and doctors getting the vaccination take them against. the police soldiers and immigration to get vaccinated. and people with underlying conditions and in the range of the population will follow the government to that additional thing $100000.00 vaccines from china those are expected to come into the

country early in march they also talking to russia and india about buying more back they also trying to get more about the country from the kodak that's being coordinated by the world health organization and the global a vaccine alliance the aim is to vaccinate 10000000 people about the population by the end of the year on tuesday the government made that the variant that with. africa is now in people i now concern are being questioned how effective is the fact going to be again that very and some of them i think if you look at the chinese vaccine plan a farm and other back on the market will produce you quickly they want to know what exactly is the and then would it be any. exports from the world health organization spoke a short time ago they say the longer the virus is allowed to spread the greater the risk of beauticians. our big message is that we should get on with vaccination as

quickly as possible and at the same time do everything possible to reduce transmission because the more these viruses transmit the more likely they are to have additional mutations occur and more likely to have issues that could emerge that relate to reduced impact of the vaccines earlier we spoke to have marie is a professor of wits university and also a member of the world health organization's strategic advice re group of experts on the covert 19 vaccine she says that vaccine effectiveness will be closely monitored during its road. many of the countries where we've seen this very steep rise in the 2nd wave. that so far from the data that we've been able to gather are being now affected by the variant that originated in africa many neighboring countries.

had a very accelerated 2nd wave the good news is that in most of these countries now the numbers are coming down but while this was happening in groups in north on a strain on health systems because many of these countries have got very mannerable health systems and hospital systems there's been an enormous amount of work and preparation for the vaccine grown. by groups like the well tell thought and i say should and garvey behind the scenes what we've done is develop tools for the countries to be able to evaluate their readiness and it's not just have i got somewhere just all the vaccines that it's can my program do is have i got financing which is a community perspective so it's a very comprehensive evaluation and the good news is that we're starting to see the vaccines being rolled out to cause that kind of access to the asters anika vaccine finds that vaccine there are discussions around a number of the other there as well and i think all around the world including the

u.k. that these variants one of the characteristics of the u.k. originally variant of the south african originated very there were transmissible so they spread what usually so i think that worldwide we are going to see over the next few months that the variants probably in many places will not the same very many that replaces the original will have strain that we saw. but having said that you know there's a lot of work behind the scenes looking at affective ness in the face of the variance and a lot of thinking a lot of lab work clinical work as well and a lot of. well legal 'd element of regular work is going to be pretty in place so that we will monitor the effectiveness of the vaccines as we roll it including in the context of countries which have got significant numbers of cases cruel by the various. we're going to take you live out of the united nations where u.n.

secretary general antonio tenet is launching the climate report in person alongside the u.n. environment program executive director nga anderson who's joining virtually from denmark let's listen in the past was sustainable economy exists driven by renewable energy sustainable food systems and nature based solutions it leads to an inclusive world it's peace with nature that these is the vision we must adopt and obviously i am a judge disposal together with anderson for any question after she presents reports great thank you very much so before we turn to question turn the floor to anger and a certain sound a sort of welcome and you have the floor. thank you so much and good morning and now this new report as we've just heard from your net making peace in nature provides the most compelling scientific case yet for why we have to tackle the 3

tenets recross says that we just heard secretary general outline climate nature and pollution and we have to tackle them as one linked challenge report ghana's is some of knowledge from major scientific sess meant to deliver one clear and unified message we're destroying the planet placing our own health and prosperity at risk the net 0 club of countries is growing and yet we are still not on course where we need to be right now we are at least projecting 3 it's a centigrade to temperature rise this century there is greater awareness than ever of the impact of biodiversity loss some coming to reduction in human health and yet we have lost 10 percent of forest cover since the 1990 as the secretary general noted the global economy has grown 5 fold and yet the stock of natural capital

i.e. . the stock of natural capital per person i.e. the world's wealth in terms of geology soil air and water in essence the very building blocks of life declined by nearly 40 percent so human ingenuity has increased crop production by 300 percent since 1970 and yet fertilizes entering course those ecosystems have produced dense owns greater than the size of the united kingdom the environmental emergency is that have been outlined in the report all flow directly from humanity's overconsumption resources or the production of waste and prioritization of short term game with the consequences of long term pain but all is not lost the report also lays out how a. fishes and coordinated axes by government businesses and people can restore the planet to health human initiative technology and cooperation can transform societies and economies through shifts in sectors like energy water and food and

support for eternity livelihoods a new business model. the report tells us that economic and financial systems can power the shift to sustainability governments as we just heard can put a price on carbon and redirect trios dollars away from harmful subsidies and all of these can lead towards sustainable development goals crucially we can achieve rapid progress by addressing the 3 christ is together not in fragmentation the meeting in paris requires the rapid transformation in energy systems and land use in agriculture in forest protection and in urban development in infrastructure lifestyles all of which would have a positive impact on climate on pollution and on biodiversity quickly reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also make it easier and cheaper of honorable countries to adapt to climate change by fully implementing the international

conventions that touch and chemicals and waste in climate change we can save millions of lives each year as we heard from the secretary general private citizens as we also heard can play and very much their art by changing their diets their travel habits reducing their consumption of water and energy and by exercising this addict rights this year our will to act must match up with the science in this reports which would not have been possible without the much appreciate support from the e.u. and in the region environment. we have to use this report as a guide to embark on a sustainable recovery took and from the pent up mic to make strong and meaningful commitments at the at the summits to follow up with immediate action because there are no backup plans for planet in emergency to redesign our economies and to ensure a just transition for all. there is indeed no precedent for what we have to do but

if 2020 was a disaster let 2021 then be the year when humanity began making peace with nature and secured a fair just and sustainable future for everyone thank you. thank you very much we'll now take some questions i would just ask you to stay on on the climate topic if you can't thank you larry out on behalf onka thank you thank you secretary general for this press conference on behalf of an come. tomorrow you will celebrate the day us return to the party's agreement with the. new special presidential envoy young climate john kerry saw you said they were look forward to the leadership of the united states. in the global effort said towards the net 0 so my question is i was wondering we charge to 1st steps or do you expect there or do you hope from the united states thank you so much about 1st of all the fact that

the united states is joining the faeries agreement is in itself very important a number of measures were already taken by the u.s. administration in different aspects related to energy and other climate related issues it was also announced there to us would the restart their financial support leave elop in world in regard to climate change and i would say that there are 2 of the fundamental contributions that we need from the u.s. the 1st is the presentation of national determined contributions national debt and contributions that will present the immediate action of the united states and the measures in your eyes and of 2030 and we hope that they will translate into a very meaningful reduction of emissions and that they will be an example for other countries to follow and the 2nd is gauge meant to in the international negotiation that is necessary for the success of the cop 26 we must build

a global coalition for net 0 we must put a new emphasis on of their possession and shifting from 20 to 50 percent the global climate finance to air their petition and. we must get in the developing world there to the promises that were made in barry's will be met when the 1000000000 funds to ever and. geishas but also the mobilization of the defense international financial institutions and the best city to create the conditions for the private sector also to massively invest in climate action not only in the global loss but also in the global stocks in all these aspects the u.s. is the largest economy in the world can play an extremely important role in the technological capacity of the u.s. will be of course very very important and we'll substantially change the possibility of a successful negotiation for the cop 26 in glasgow james. secretary general

following up from that in the us is a role you have been secretary-general for for years the trumpet ministration was in office for most of that time how much did the trumpet ministrations setback global efforts on climate change not just by their own actions but by giving space to others who were skeptical about multilateral efforts there was no contribution from the u.s. government but it's important to say that when one looks at the american society and today governments have much less power than in the past we have seen a fantastic mobilization of the private sector of the cities of some states embassy for society as a whole and that is allowed the situation that we have today in which the west is still on time to be fully on track for a net 0 in 2050 and for a being part of the global effort to keep the temperatures below 1.5 degrees of

girls in the end of the century. once the. press. yes thank you said carroll didn't you know mind. even to vary from together how they are climbed how close would you say we are to the point where you would you would consider it sort of too late for the planet or too late for humanity's well being as that or or or is there no time when we would be too late because the increasing reports keep talking about we're getting close we're getting close but we never seem to be there how close are we or is there really of their. i think 2021 is a make it or break it we are not too late but we need to make sure that we are able not only to create the conditions for a drastic reduction of a mixture in the rising of the next decade making it possible to achieve the limit

of 1.5 degrees these is the ear where we need to have a new framework to preserve biodiversity and this is the year where we need to take a number of very important measures to reduce pollution i mean it's a make it or break it indeed because the risks of things becoming a reversible is gaining ground every single year but these requires a mind shift just to give you an example. of all important is this mind shift requirement even in the way we organize economic policies and they cannot make data we can see that g.d.p. gross when we over fish we have this throwing nature but we counted as increase of wells we can see that g.d.p. gross where we cut forests. and we are destroying nature and the other is trying welse but we can see that it g.d.p. gross and many other activities that the straw in nature and many other exhibit is

that and the mine of future are still considered to be part of the growth of the global economy so i mean there is a fundamental shift in the way we measure the economy in the way we behave as citizens and in the way we behave as countries and without that fundamental shift the targets that we have fixed inflation to biodiversity notions of pollution and they should do climate change will not be achievable and we are close to a point of no return. it is obvious that. just to give an example temperature rise has already reached $1.00 degrees so if we want to keep it to $1.00 until the end of the century it is clear that we are very close to the point of no return. now today she should from the china central t.v. show

china central t.v. are you able to connect. we can't hear you ok go ahead oh. yes ok the question is now i know that you're just it's is experiencing a very hairy almost no there are extreme winter weather winter storms some people are my argue that this is actually you know the weather get cooler not get so there there are people tonight and that will change the climate change global warming so do you think this is one of the cause of climate is one of the cause that caused the. little to weather and how do you address those things to those people who deny this yes or no are talking about trickle of threats or talking about how the government and troops should do about lists how to change those that the might of people that the climate is thank you well we are having global warming clearly as

an average in the world but at the same time we are having global warming as an average and now that impact of climate change is there to hold starnes all. becoming more extreme so if you look at any caves you look at storms but also if you look at it waves and called waves they're becoming more extreme because of climate change climate change amplifies so as an average the temperature is growing and these growing too quickly but the impact of storms of all kinds including snowstorms is also increasing that emetic lee so all these as a result to a large extent of climate change and when they say well we don't need to be worried because as a matter of fact we are having a cold wave these is the total lack of scientific knowledge this is complete ignorance the fact is that those oscillations even if they are the nations through

low. temperatures in some situations when they are too large and when they are accompanied by the domestic storms they are exactly an effect these equilibrium the global the sick leave them that is caused by climate change thank you i think we have to let the secretary general go one last one last one. thank you very much a pleasure all if you don't mind i'd like to ask you about 2 pressing issue you know they're related to quite quiet right now is is a growing crisis right now in i'm sure you saw it in the news in the middle east there has been another attack by not sure but attack on u.s. forces in iraq recently the white house called mounted on it and said we reserve the right to respond which is an indication to iran backed militias and we are back at this point just like last year of this point of high tension and the president of course the star region in a message to united nations and to you said we want the united nations take this

seriously and make sure that iraq government work on solving the issue of disputed territories which is where the attack was originated from there is. supportive of the integrity the sole vanity and independence of iraq we condemn all attacks of these nature and we hope that it will be possible to find the bass funny doc to become a very important as the in the gulf own vice thank you very much in shock thank you one could think you might say thank you mr all yesterday you said you criticize those developing countries for not having having any vaccines 0 vaccine in those countries right now we have seen millions in western countries in the united states yes you know on what needs to be done is a global vaccination plan that make sure that all vaccines everywhere on time and even affordable way thank you very much so thank you. i think and that was

the even 2nd general antonio guterres that launching the climate report. which has been published today by the united nations the system. give us a summary of what it is we've actually been watching for the last 20 minutes or so the world is failing to meet its commitments to limit environmental damage that's putting the planet of the very existence in jeopardy that stark warning is being given as past all of that un climate report that's just been launched the report says that climate change biodiversity loss and pollution add up to 3 self-inflicted planetary crises that threaten future generations will that a 1000000 of the estimated 8000000 plants and animals species a facing serious increased risk of extinction the u.n. report once again highlights the poorer nations bearing the brunt of this crisis extraction of natural resources has left more than 1000000000 people in poverty

around 9000000 a dying prematurely every year from pollution let's go live then to our diplomatic of editor james bays who is at the united nations you may have seen in moscow a question in that press conference james 2021 a make or break year in terms of climate change the secretary general said we are close to the point of no return. yes and i think that was definitely the most important comment in this news conference because trying to find out where you are with all the dire warnings that we've heard on climate in this report but also over the years is difficult and certainly the secretary general believes that this is the time to take action he said to me that clearly the trumpet ministration was not following the path that he wanted to tall but businesses and local authorities in the u.s. had maintained efforts with regard to climate which makes it easier for the biden

administration to resign up to the paris climate deal which they have done and to actually but that to be legally binding on them and then to actually part of it which will happen in 24 hours time and for them then to meet their commitments he said there really haven't been much backsliding as a result of the 4 years of the trumpet ministration i know there are some clients climate scientists who believe the situation is more dire than the u.n. makes it out to be certainly there is a vicious timeline now it's to a big meeting the copper meeting that takes place at the end of the year to get further commitments from all of the nations in the world to build on the paris climate agreement which as a say will now fully have the u.s. is supporting the u.s. will become a proper member of in 24 hours time in fact in 24 hours time age and we're going to see the u.n. secretary general and the former secretary of state now joe biden's climate envoy

john kerry with the ceremony marking the u.s. has returned to the paris deal and why is this report being published today is it is because the u.s. is returning to the clavichord to more. you know it's a report that you know that the u.n. environment program has been working on for some time and you know anderson as the head of you know is continuing at that news conference asking some some more question answering some more questions from journalists on this issue this is an issue that the the u.n. doesn't just bring up once in a while it's an issue that the u.n. now believes is absolutely central to everything it does it believes that climbers affects the recovery from close covert it believes that climate it's central to its mission delivering humanitarian. aims for for the people around the world

particularly in conflict zones they believe that climate is central to everything and certainly this secretary general is making a very big push on climate the other place you're going to see climate in the next 24 hours i think although the meeting will be mainly dominated by covert 19 efforts is that the g 7 countries are having a special meeting in 24 hours time a virtual meeting and again that will be pushing the climate agenda in part because the current country that's chairing the g 7 is the u.k. and the u.k. along with italy are the ones at the end of the year that are also presiding over the cop meeting our diplomatic editor james bay is reporting live from the u.n. in new york james many thanks indeed lonely ambitious coordination action by governments businesses and people around the world can reverse the worst consequences of environmental damage that's the un's conclusion in that report

after syria's bernard smith has more now on what's at stake. for a decade the lakes of kenya's rift valley have been rising swallowing up land and villages destroying communities deforestation is to blame soil once held in place by trees is washed down from the mountains by the rain silting up the lakes below stopping them from draining. in a report called making peace with nature the u.n. environment program says we need on bishop's global coordination to make the use of land and oceans sustainable there are vested interests that stop in action there we have subsidies for agriculture and for energy for fossil fuels a perverse way it carries the use of fossil fuels that encourage the use of bad agricultural practices so there were many people around the world trying to repeat governments thought and said civil actions together the report says that none of

the global goals for the protection of life on earth have been met deforestation and overfishing continues a 1000000 species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction and there is much to be done to reduce and water pollution but if we can get the business community so work with governments around the world i'm optimistic we can start to move in the right direction and i think most governments do realize that climate shades it is actually i firstly effacing through security or sister curacy schuman health poverty alleviation without action the world is on track to warm 3 degrees above pre-industrial levels by the year 2100 so missing the paris agreement target of well below 2 degrees and like the people of the rift valley the u.n. says it's the world's poorest in developing countries but suffer the worst consequences of climate change bernard smith. let's hear now from

a serious man well i'm polow hussein mexico's capital pollution levels that are so bad that small can be seen trapped above the city. it's hard to think of the mexican capital and not imagine the city's massive urban sprawl the metropolitan area is home to 24000000 people and it's constantly growing. the impact of all this traffic construction and industry has wreaked havoc on the region's natural environment. and all of it amounts to one of the most significant carbon footprint in all of latin america one of the most visible signs of this is the city's poor air quality there are times of the year where air pollution is so bad people are urged not to go outside due to heighten the health risks it's estimated that air pollution is responsible for the deaths of some $33000.00 mexicans every year and it's a problem that doesn't seem to be improving.