News & Events

A new model law launched by the Commonwealth Secretariat aims to help countries implement a carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

The Commonwealth Carbon Tax Model Law, presented at a high-level event in Dubai during COP28, provides a framework for an easily administrable carbon tax. Under the model law, the tax would be levied on fossil fuel companies and major industrial emitters, following the ‘polluter pays’ principle. This approach is designed to ensure that the majority of emissions in the Commonwealth countries are taxed.

By taxing major sources of carbon pollution, the law will encourage the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. The revenue generated can be invested in climate action, offset impacts on vulnerable groups, and support economic diversification. The model law offers the Commonwealth countries a starting point to draft new legislation or adapt existing statutes.

Read the original article here: https://thecommonwealth.org/news/commonwealth-carbon-tax-model-law-launched-help-countries-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions

The UK government proposed new age-check guidelines to better protect children from accessing digital pornography. This includes suggesting the use of AI-based technology to estimate if a viewer appears to be of legal age.

The recently passed Online Safety Act requires websites and apps that display or publish pornographic content to ensure that children do not usually encounter such material on their platforms. The legal age for accessing pornography in the UK is 18 and over. Studies show children are being exposed to online pornography at increasingly younger ages. On average, children first view pornography online at age 13, while nearly a quarter encounter it by age 11, and one in ten as young as age 9, according to a 2021-2022 study by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England.

The new guidance recommends using age verification technology that analyzes facial features to estimate a user’s age. While not completely foolproof, it adds a layer of protection beyond self-declared ages. The technology would block access if it estimates the user is underage.

The UK government believes these new safeguards are necessary to reduce the availability and exposure of pornography to children. While responsibility lies with adult websites, additional checks through age-estimation technology can help restrict access and limit the impact explicit material can have on young, developing minds.

Read the original article here: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/ai-could-judge-if-user-is-porn-watching-age-under-new-uk-guidance-2023-12-05/

A new implementation framework was launched by the Commonwealth Secretariat to promote coordinated action on land, biodiversity, and climate challenges across the 56 Commonwealth nations. This framework called the Living Lands Charter Implementation Framework, was unveiled at an event alongside the COP28 conference in Dubai.

The Living Lands Charter was adopted last year to guide the Commonwealth countries on sustainable land management and restoration. The implementation framework introduced recently aims to facilitate practical on-the-ground actions aligned with the Charter. Through extensive consultations over the past year, the framework was designed to enable context-specific solutions while promoting collaboration on shared land and climate goals.

With the Commonwealth representing over 2.4 billion people and stewardship of a quarter of the world’s land area, this framework has immense potential to drive progress on biodiversity, desertification and climate change. By taking coordinated action on sustainable land management guided by the Living Lands Charter, the Commonwealth aims to lead by example in implementing solutions to interlinked environmental challenges.

Read the original article here: https://thecommonwealth.org/news/commonwealth-unveils-framework-implementing-living-lands-charter