UN Climate Summit Runs Into Overtime Amid Disagreements on Fossil Fuel Language |
This year’s UN climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has been extended (Reuters) past its original deadline of Tuesday morning local time after backlash to a draft summit text that omitted previously discussed language for a “phase out” or “phase down” of fossil fuels. Another point of contention in the draft was the listing of actions that “could” be taken to cut emissions. A Samoan official who chairs the Alliance of Small Island States called the draft (The Guardian) a “death certificate,” and pledged not to sign an agreement that does not include strong commitments to phasing out fossil fuels.
Any final document must be passed by consensus, and COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber called on delegates (FT) to develop ambitious language regarding fossil fuels. Another senior COP28 official said that the draft text released yesterday was meant to prompt countries to immediately come forward with their “red lines.” If the final text ultimately includes a phase-out, it would mark the first time in the summit’s history that the UN conference mentioned reducing all fossil fuels.
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“This [draft] text doesn’t send the clear signals that are needed to avert the climate crisis. The suggested set of actions is merely a pick-your-own menu,” the World Resources Institute’s David Waskow tells The Guardian.
“Although [COP agreements] do send a high-profile signal about what the world’s politicians would like to see happen, on their own they are far from the most important factor driving the energy transition. Domestic policy matters—tax credits, emissions regulation, permitting reform—and the opportunities that financiers can find in emergent technologies, among other factors, will ultimately be the forces that ‘phase out’ fossil fuels, not agreements taken by the United Nations,” Semafor’s Tim McDonnell writes.
This set of Foreign Affairs essays looks at how to understand today’s climate debate.
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Zelenskyy Visits Washington in Push for War Aid |
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to meet (NYT) U.S. President Joe Biden and senior Republican and Democratic members of Congress today in an appeal for new aid in the ongoing war against Russia. Opposition from some Republicans blocked an emergency spending bill last week that included aid for Ukraine.
This article by CFR’s Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow visualizes U.S. aid to Ukraine in six charts.
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China’s Xi Begins State Visit to Vietnam |
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s two-day visit comes after President Biden visited Vietnam in September, making it the only country that the leaders of both the United States and China visited this year and underscoring its importance as a manufacturing hub. Xi is expected to sign (Nikkei) some twelve bilateral agreements with Vietnamese senior officials during his visit.
South Korea/Netherlands: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol began a state visit (Yonhap) to the Netherlands yesterday that is due to focus on boosting cooperation regarding semiconductors. A senior South Korean national security advisor said the two countries would establish a “semiconductor alliance that encompasses the governments, businesses and universities.”
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Attack by Explosive-Laden Truck Kills Twenty-Three Soldiers in Pakistan |
The attack on an army outpost in northwest Pakistan today was claimed by (WaPo) Tehrik-e-Jihad, a group that analysts say is an offshoot or ally of the Pakistani Taliban. The Pakistani Taliban has been responsible for a resurgence of attacks in the country in recent months.
Myanmar: The country has become (BBC) the world’s largest source of opium production following a drop in production in Afghanistan, the United Nations said in a report this week. The Afghan Taliban banned the cultivation of poppies after they took over the country in 2021, while Myanmar’s production is expected to rise by 36 percent this year.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israel Vows Heightened Response to Hezbollah Actions on Northern Border |
Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz told (Times of Israel) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a phone call yesterday that aggressive actions by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah “demand of Israel to remove such a threat to the civilian population of northern Israel,” an Israeli readout of the call said. Skirmishes on the Israel-Lebanon border have continued since the start of the current war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas; yesterday, Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at Israel from southern Lebanon.
Norway/Yemen: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed an attack (Reuters) on a Norwegian commercial tanker, the latest in a string of such attacks protesting Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The tanker was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal, a Houthi military spokesperson said.
This In Brief by CFR’s Kali Robinson and Will Merrow explains the web of Iran’s regional armed network.
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Congo Government, Rebel Groups Agree to Cease-Fire Ahead of Election |
The United States announced the deal (AP) for a three-day truce between government forces and rebel groups occupying part of Eastern Congo. It comes as the Democratic Republic of Congo prepares to hold a presidential vote on December 20.
Kenya: Officials are investigating the possibility that sabotage was behind the country’s third major power outage in four months, Kenya’s transportation minister said. The government said yesterday that it was gradually restoring power (NYT) in the country.
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Tusk Elected Prime Minister of Poland |
Poland’s parliament elected Donald Tusk (FT) as prime minister today after a last-minute attempt by the right-wing Law and Justice Party to block him from assuming the position. He is expected to be officially sworn in tomorrow, ending eight years of Law and Justice rule. This In Brief by CFR expert Matthias Matthijs discusses how Poland’s election results could reshape Europe.
U.S./Ukraine: The International Monetary Fund approved a disbursal (Bloomberg) of $900 million in aid to Ukraine yesterday, with the bank’s Ukraine mission chief praising the country’s progress on anticorruption reforms.
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U.S. Imposes Visa Restrictions on Hundreds of Guatemalans for ‘Undermining Democracy’ |
The nearly three hundred sanctioned lawmakers, members of the private sector, and their families were “responsible for, or complicit in” (AP) actions to impede Guatemala’s presidential transition, including opening ballot boxes, raids, and political targeting of the opposition, the U.S. State Department said.
Argentina: New Economy Minister Luis Caputo is due to announce (Reuters) economic shock measures to reign in Argentina’s inflation after markets close today. The measures are expected to include deep cuts to state spending, a reduction in the size of the public sector, and potentially a devaluation of the local peso.
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