African activists oppose local fossil fuel developments
17/11/2022: African delegations have exploited COP27 to embrace the new scramble for oil and gas in the continent. according to Greenpeace. However, African activists pledge concerted resistance to local fossil fuel expansion.
Source: Greenpeace International
Is it time to lift sanctions on Syria?
15/11/2022: An independent UN expert has called for all sanctions against Syria to be lifted. But legal experts and Syrian activists do not agree. Sanctions were imposed on Syria by European countries and the US in 2011, when the authoritarian leader, Bashar Assad, sparked a civil war.
Source: DW
New initiative to finance minigrids in over 20 African countries
15/11/2022: Launched at COP27, the Africa Minigrids Program aims to mobilise $65 billion in new investments to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy minigrids in 21 countries. Half of the people living in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity.
Source: UN Development Programme
Is natural gas the solution to energy for all in Africa?
10/11/2022: The number of people without electricity in sub-Saharan Africa is rising, almost back to its 2013 peak. The fall out from the Ukraine war has encouraged African governments to boost investment in gas, despite the consequences for climate change.
Source: Devex
Milestone against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
7/11/2022: A hundred States have committed to the UN Agreement on Port State Measures, a binding instrument which denies port access and use to foreign vessels engaging in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. One in every five fish caught around the world may originate from such fishing.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
UN climate summit set for tough negotiations in final week
11/11/2022: Developing countries showed a united front during the first week of COP27 on the need for a dedicated fund for loss and damage, ideally financed by taxes on fossil fuel firms. Notably, the conference is being attended by over 6,000 members of coal, oil and gas companies.
Source: China Dialogue
COP27: It’s Africa’s time to lead
7/11/2022: The lack of momentum at COP27 may create space for Africa to take charge of its energy and climate future. The response of richer countries to recent multiple global crises undermines established principles for climate negotiations.
Source: African Arguments
Open letter sets Bill Gates right about global food insecurity
10/11/2022: In recent articles about global food insecurity Bill Gates advocates agri-technology solutions that increase crop yields. In response, over 50 grassroots organisations argue instead for more equitable access to food, given that the world already produces enough to feed its population.
Source: Third World Network
Global disparity in access to essential vaccines
9/11/2022: Limited supply and unequal vaccine distribution means that lower-income countries consistently struggle to access essential inoculations, according to the latest Global Vaccine Market Report, released by the World Health Organization. Ten manufacturers alone provide 70 per cent of vaccine doses, excluding those for COVID-19.
Source: UN News
Deforestation is pushing Amazon to ‘point of no return
9/11/2022: A new report from the World Wildlife Fund warns that threats to the Amazon have worsened in recent years. As a result, the biome is nearing its “tipping point,” meaning it could soon transition from wet rainforest to dry savanna.
Source: Mongabay