African Climate Summit Ends With Calls for Financing |
The inaugural Africa Climate Summit ended yesterday with a joint declaration calling for (Reuters) global carbon taxes and reforms to international financial institutions. In the final Nairobi Declaration, African leaders emphasized that the continent is poised to lead the world in a clean energy transition conditional on investment, rather than aid, to help countries address climate change. At the three-day summit in Kenya, investors announced $23 billion in “green” financing, including solar energy, carbon markets, and reforestation.
The declaration will form the basis (NYT) of Africa’s negotiating position at the upcoming UN climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with increasingly visible stakes. The summit concluded as North Africa—along with much of the northern hemisphere—recorded the hottest summer (Le Monde) ever measured.
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“Africa is responsible for less than 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. But it is the continent which is the least able to cope with the negative impacts of climate change,” the World Meteorological Organization’s Petteri Taalas said.
“Climate finance is inefficient, insufficient, and unfair,” Bogolo Kenewendo, Mahmoud Mohieldin, and Reuben Wambui write for Project Syndicate. “With debt levels and borrowing costs soaring, climate action must be funded through more equity investments and concessional financing. That means focusing on the needs of African countries, which are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, despite contributing the least to creating the problem, in the creation and implementation of green-finance tools.”
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China’s Exports Drop as Economic Downturn Continues |
Beijing’s outbound shipments fell 8.8 percent (WSJ) in August from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive month of sliding exports. Imports also shrank, sparking concerns among economists about the extent of China’s economic slowdown.
Australia/China: After a three-year hiatus, the countries resumed (Reuters) an annual high-level dialogue to discuss areas of concern. The talks stalled in 2020 amid tensions between Beijing and Canberra over the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Ahead of G20, Modi Asks Wealthy Countries to Pair Climate Demands With Finance |
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose country is the host of this year’s Group of Twenty (G20) summit, said efforts to combat climate change should focus (Bloomberg) on “what can be done,” rather than “what should not be done.” He urged wealthy countries to provide money and technology transfers to assist lower-income countries in tackling climate change.
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert Manjari Chatterjee Miller previews India’s G20 summit.
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Pakistan closed a major border crossing (AP) with Afghanistan yesterday following an exchange of fire by border guards on either side. Elsewhere near the border, four Pakistani soldiers and twelve militants were killed after a group of assailants attacked two Pakistani military posts.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Palestinian Officials Set Terms for Israeli-Saudi Normalization |
Meeting with their Saudi counterparts in Riyadh yesterday, officials from the Palestinian Authority said they will demand hundreds of millions of dollars and more control over land in the occupied West Bank as part of any normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the BBC reported. U.S. officials said a deal is not imminent.
On this episode of The President’s Inbox, CFR expert Steven A. Cook evaluates the prospects for an Israeli-Saudi peace deal.
United Arab Emirates: The country will host (The National) a climate summit for religious leaders in the capital, Abu Dhabi, this November, ahead of the annual UN climate summit. They will be joined by academic and environmental experts to discuss the ethical duties of clergy to address climate change.
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Gabon’s Military ‘Frees’ Ousted President |
General Brice Oligui Nguema said (Africanews) that ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba “can travel abroad if he wishes.” Oligui, who was sworn in as president on Monday, placed Bongo under house arrest last week. Bongo had been in office for fourteen years before the coup, having succeeded his father. |
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In Kyiv, Blinken Declares $1 Billion in New U.S. Aid to Ukraine |
The aid package includes (WSJ) funds for demining equipment and anticorruption efforts. During U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv yesterday, Russian missile strikes on a shopping center in eastern Ukraine killed at least sixteen people and injured more than thirty others.
United Kingdom: The country will rejoin (BBC) Horizon, the European Union’s flagship scientific research program, from which it had been excluded since 2020. British scientists and institutions will be eligible to apply for money from the $100 billion fund effective today.
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Mexico Decriminalizes Abortion |
The country’s Supreme Court ruled to federally decriminalize (CNN) the procedure yesterday, finding that national laws prohibiting it are unconstitutional. All federal health institutions will be required to provide abortion to anyone who requests it. Mexico had previously decriminalized abortion in twelve states. The Women and Foreign Policy Program compares abortion laws worldwide.
Mexico: The ruling Morena party named (The Guardian) former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum as its candidate for next year’s presidential election. The opposition coalition also nominated a woman as its candidate, setting the stage for Mexico to elect its first female president.
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Federal Judge Says Texas Must Remove Border Buoys |
The judge ruled (Politico) yesterday that the buoys obstructed the flow of the Rio Grande River and therefore required congressional authorization and a federal permit. Texas must remove the buoys by September 15. Lawyers for the state have already filed an appeal. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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