Climate Change
Energy
Asia
Ed King

Developed countries must lead emissions curbs and make good on finance pledge say emerging economies key to climate pact.

Rich countries need to take the lead in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the leaders of India and China have said in an unusual joint statement.

Released at the end of two days of talks between Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping, it says developing countries need more finance and technological support to green their economies.

“The two sides urged the developed countries to raise their pre-2020 emission reduction targets and honour their commitment to provide US$100bn per year by 2020 to developing countries,” it says.

Nearly 200 countries are working on a global climate pact to limit warming to below 2C above pre industrial levels, with an outcome expected in Paris this December at a UN summit.

The statement offered no new goals or specific targets the pair would like to see in a Paris deal, instead referring to the 2007 Bali Road Map, where rich countries pledged to help the poor with green finance and technology.

For the complete article, please see RTCC.

Source:
RTCC
Water
Global Issues
Raquel Munayer, adelphi

As part of this year’s online World Water Week at Home, adelphi and IHE Delft convened the workshop "Water diplomacy: a tool for climate action?". The workshop reflected on the role that foreign policy can play in mitigating, solving and potentially preventing conflicts over the management of transboundary water resources, especially in a changing climate.

Forests
South America
Adriana E. Abdenur, Igarapé Institute

The Cerrado, a tropical savannah region located in Central Brazil, is nearly half as large as the Amazon and a deforestation hotspot. Yet little attention is paid to this important biome. That has to change.

Technology & Innovation
Middle East & North Africa
Will Marshall, Fair Observer

China’s Belt and Road Initiative projects may exacerbate the risk of climate-related instability across the Middle East in the long term.

Sustainable Transformation
Global Issues
Emily Wright, adelphi

With the European Green Deal, the European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen has committed to accelerating decarbonisation in Europe as a major priority. The report "The Geopolitics of Decarbonization: Reshaping European Foreign Relations" shows how the EU’s external relations need to evolve to adequately reflect the political, economic and social outcomes of this process.